Visakhapatnam Police Bust Delhi-Based Aarogyasri Healthcare Scam Ring

 Visakhapatnam: The Visakhapatnam City Cybercrime Police have successfully apprehended members of a Delhi-based gang responsible for an elaborate healthcare fraud scheme targeting residents of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. The scammers, posing as Aarogyasri health department officials, defrauded at least 146 victims across both states.

According to Police Commissioner Shankhabrata Bagchi, the fraudsters would call random mobile numbers, claiming to process refunds for Aarogyasri healthcare services. Victims were sent malicious links, when clicked, resulted in unauthorized fund transfers from their accounts.

In one case, Raghupatruni Varalakshmi, a 52-year-old accountant from Visakhapatnam, lost Rs. 84,243 after receiving a call about delivery charge reimbursements for her daughter-in-law. Two other victims, Yenni Sasikala and Boi Divya, lost Rs. 99,342 and Rs. 99,430, respectively, bringing the total loss for just these three victims to Rs. 2,83,015.

The police have arrested several suspects, including Kakani Narendra, Shivratri Karthik, and Paluri Prasad, who were brought from Delhi on transit warrants. Two additional suspects, Veernala Balaji and Poojala Chandrasekhar, were previously arrested in Hyderabad in connection with the case.

The investigation revealed that the operation was masterminded by two individuals—Satyam from Madhya Pradesh and Narendra from Andhra Pradesh—who coordinated with other Telugu-speaking accomplices from their Delhi base. The scheme has claimed at least 146 victims across both states, with 57 cases reported in Andhra Pradesh and 89 in Telangana.

The cybercrime unit has advised citizens to verify any calls claiming to be from Aarogyasri by contacting local hospital coordinators and to never share personal or banking information over the phone. Victims can report such frauds through the cybercrime portal or by calling the toll-free number 1930.