TV Channel Chief Held For 2 BHK Houses Scam

HYDERABAD: The Cyberabad police on Monday arrested chairman of Vision TV channel who was accused of swindling nearly Rs 70 lakh from 40 people for allegedly allocating double bedroom houses which were being built by the Telangana state government, as a part of 2 BHK housing scheme.

The details of the case were revealed by Cyberabad Police Commissioner VC Sajjanar. The accused Guthula Prashanth is a resident of KPHB ninth phase in Hyderabad and a native of Nadimilanka Village in East Godavari District of Andhra Pradesh.

Police said that Prashanth gained the trust of innocent people with his words, and made them believe that he can allocate the double bedroom houses located at Nizampet and Kaithalapur to them. He said that these plots were allocated by the state government to the media persons and claimed that he can allocate them to the people.

He collected the photocopies of Aadhaar cards, passport size photos along with electricity bills with their current address from around 40  people.

Prashanth then charged Rs 1,55,000 to Rs 1,70,000 per person in the pretext of allocating plots.

After collecting money from the people, he gave a fake allotment order copy in the name of Government of Telangana Housing (RH & C.A1) Department, from his laptop, police said. Police said that he had collected money from 40 people belonging to Kukatpally, KPHB colony, Bachupally and Miyapur.

Police upon information about this scam arrested the TV channel chairman on Monday and seized a Mahindra XUV vehicle, a Lenovo laptop, Samsung mobile, eight fake 2BHK house allotment letters along with Rs 8,00,000 cash from him.