Four brokers held for allegedly cheating applicants near Secunderabad passport office

Four persons were arrested by the Malkajgiri Commissionerate’s Special Operations Team (SOT) for allegedly cheating passport applicants by falsely promising to expedite passport processing successful speech for money.

The accused were identified arsenic Shivarathri Siddulu, 35, a passport broker from Addagutta, Thummala Venkatesh, 32, an online work provider, Varikuppala Aswin Kumar, 33, an online work provider, and Pallepu Deepak, 32, an car operator from Alwal.

The lawsuit was registered astatine Market constabulary presumption based connected a ailment lodged by Shaheen Begum Sulthanaa.

According to the police, the complainant had applied for her grandson’s passport astatine the Regional Passport Office successful Secunderabad successful June 2025. As the exertion remained pending, she visited the bureau successful November 2025 to enquire astir its status.

Police said Siddulu and his associates allegedly approached her adjacent the entranceway of the passport bureau and claimed they could get the passport processed wrong a day. The radical allegedly collected ₹6,000 from her aft assuring her that they could expedite the process.

Investigators alleged that the accused besides prevented her from proceeding further and falsely represented that they had the quality to power passport clearances and approvals.

According to the complaint, erstwhile the pistillate contacted Siddulu again connected June 4 regarding the presumption of the application, helium allegedly demanded further wealth and threatened that the passport process would not beryllium completed if she failed to pay.

Following an investigation, SOT Malkajgiri Team-I apprehended the 4 accused. Police said Deepak had antecedently been progressive successful a cheating lawsuit registered astatine Market Police Station successful 2023.

Investigators said the accused chiefly targeted passport applicants whose applications were pending and induced them to portion with wealth by falsely claiming they could unafraid faster approvals done their influence.

A lawsuit was registered nether Sections 308, 316(2) and 318 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, and further probe is underway.