Pastor's Family Dupes 31 People in Konaseema District

Kakinada: Thirty-one individuals from Amalapuram, Allavaram, Ravulapalem, Razole, P. Gannavaram, and Antarvedi in Konaseema District, along with residents from Palakollu and Ongole, were allegedly defrauded of Rs.1.50 crores by a pastor’s family from Komaragiripatnam in Allavaram mandal of B.R. Ambedkar Konaseema District. The victims submitted a complaint to district officials on Monday, urging justice and criminal action against the pastor and his family.

The victims claimed that Pastor A. Shalom Raju, his wife B. Jyothi, and an agent named B. Jyothi collected Rs.1.50 crores from them under the pretense of securing jobs in Israel with salaries exceeding Rs.1 lakh each. Initially, the pastor demanded Rs.3 lakhs, with an agreement to pay an additional Rs.4 lakhs after securing employment.

In hopes of landing a job, the victims transferred the funds to the pastor's bank account and also provided some cash. After collecting their Aadhaar cards and passports, the pastor introduced them to an agent from Warangal, also named B. Jyothi. The three individuals delayed the process under various pretexts. Eventually, they sent 11 victims to Jordan, where they were shown some sites before being sent back to Hyderabad, allegedly because their visa had expired.

Subsequently, the pastor and his associates repeatedly promised to send them to Israel, but the victims soon realised they had been scammed. They are now requesting officials to recover their money and take action against the accused.