Fraudster lures farmers with buffalo deals

Metro India News | SIDDIPET

Police arrested a man for allegedly cheating farmers by posing as a successful dairy entrepreneur and promising to supply high-quality buffaloes through a YouTube channel. The accused, Palle Saikiran, a resident of Beeramguda in Ameenpur mandal of Sangareddy district, had created a YouTube channel named "Lakshmi Dairy Farm." Through videos showcasing his claimed success in dairy farming,

he attracted aspiring dairy farmers and offered to help them purchase premium breeds of buffaloes and cows. One of the victims, Saireddy Shankar Reddy from Markook in Siddipet district, approached Saikiran to purchase 10 buffaloes. The two agreed on a deal worth Rs 15 lakh, following which the accused allegedly collected an advance of Rs 2.5 lakh through an online transfer. Soon after receiving the money, Saikiran stopped answering calls and messages.

Realising he had been cheated, Shankar Reddy lodged a complaint with the Markook police. Based on the complaint, police launched an investigation and arrested the accused. Addressing the media, Gajwel Inspector D. Ravi Raj said the investigation revealed that Saikiran had allegedly duped several other farmers in Vikarabad and Nagarkurnool districts using the same modus operandi.

The Inspector advised farmers to verify sellers before making online payments and to report cyber frauds immediately so that authorities could block the transferred funds. Further investigation is underway.