Notorious conman held for ganja smuggling in Vizag

VISAKHAPATNAM: A 30-year-old notorious impersonator, who was arrested in the past for cheating people by posing as a former Ranji trophy player from Andhra Pradesh, has been again taken into custody by Srikakulam police on Sunday on charges of procurement, possession and transportation of ganja. Police seized 24 kg of dry ganja from the procession of Nagaraju Budumuru, a native of Yavvaripeta village in Polaki mandal of Srikakulam district.

In March 2023, Mumbai police arrested Nagaraju in a cash misappropriation case, in which he, posing as AP Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, called a Mumbabi-based managing director of an electronic firm and asked for sponsorship of ₹12 lakh for budding cricketer Ricky Bhui, who was playing for the state.

Earlier, he was held in 2021 by Telangana Police for impersonating a personal secretary to minister K.T. Rama Rao and duped nine corporate firms to the tune of over ₹40 lakh. According to the police, Nagaraju cheated over 60 corporate houses and allegedly collected over ₹3 crores in AP and Telangana during the last six years. More than 40 FIRs, including cheating cases filed against Nagaraju for committing crimes using a similar modus operandi.

Srikakulam Two-town police said that they seized 24 kg of ganja from Nagaraju which he procured from Paralakhemundi of Odisha to smuggle it to Mumbai. Rajam and Tekkali police also arrested him on the same charges in the past.

Claiming to have obtained an MBA graduate, Nagaraju told many that he represented AP in Ranji Trophy matches between 2014 and 2016, which was refuted by the AP Cricket Association.