Hyderabad: Four persons were arrested on Tuesday for allegedly cheating residents by issuing forged allotment orders for double bedroom flats under a Telangana government housing scheme. The gang, led by Mohd Ahmed of Bandlaguda, is accused of collecting approximately ₹42.35 lakh from at least 25 victims across Hyderabad.
According to police, the operation was uncovered by the Commissioner’s Task Force, North Zone Team, in coordination with Bandlaguda Police. The accused were identified as Mohd Ahmed, Mohd Amjad alias Munavar, Mir Kousar Ali alias Siraj, and Kothakota Raj Kumar Reddy alias Raju.
Ahmed and Amjad falsely promised allottees that they could secure flats at the government housing project in Bandlaguda. They took amounts ranging between ₹50,000 and ₹2.22 lakh from each individual. Raju, a supervisor at the Bandlaguda construction site, helped reinforce the scam by showing victims actual flats to gain their trust.
Police said the group issued fake allotment orders using original documents from legitimate beneficiaries. The accused used mobile editing tools like Picsart to fabricate documents with forged RDO Hyderabad signatures and fake seals. These were then handed over to the victims as supposed government-issued orders.
Mir Kousar Ali acted as a local agent, referring relatives and others on commission, especially from Golconda and surrounding areas.
The scam had been ongoing for nearly two years, with victims targeted from multiple localities including Amberpet, Mangalhat, Madannapet, Nallakunta, and Attapur.
Police recovered ₹5.5 lakh in cash and other incriminating material during the arrests. The operation was led by Inspectors Raghavender (North Zone Task Force) and Gurunath (Bandlaguda PS), with assistance from Sub-Inspectors and constables of both teams.
