Kondabhattula Pawan Kumar, accused of luring nearly 1,000 people into a honey-trap and extortion racket, has been remanded to four days of police custody in Hyderabad for further investigation, according to police officials cited by Deccan Chronicle.
Pawan was taken from Chanchalguda Central Prison to a police station after doctors at Osmania General Hospital declared him fit for questioning. Investigators are examining his alleged use of multiple fake social media accounts, which reportedly carried photographs of models, to target people in India and abroad.
Police are also investigating allegations that Pawan posed as a woman named “Chandana” to trap former Khairatabad divisional inspector Mookam Balaswamy and extort ₹10 lakh from him. Khairatabad station house officer B. Venkat Reddy officially confirmed Pawan’s alleged involvement in the incident after Saidabad police had initially not disclosed it, the report said.
Information provided by Pawan’s wife allegedly indicated that he had confessed to trapping and extorting more than 12 police personnel, including two officials of additional deputy commissioner of police rank. Police are verifying bank transactions linked to Pawan, his wife and a relative to cross-check the statement.
The case has drawn attention to the risks posed by social media-enabled impersonation and the vulnerability of public officials to blackmail. A station house officer quoted in the report said police personnel had encountered cases in which women allegedly attempted to lure officers by threatening to file false complaints. The officer said officials were expected to assess such situations carefully.
A senior police officer said the department’s assessment of personnel had traditionally focused on performance, relationships with citizens and familiarity with their jurisdiction. The officer said internal inquiries were now also examining issues including undisclosed houses and extramarital relationships, as these could create vulnerabilities for blackmail or coercion.
The report said 10 station house officer-rank officials had so far been suspended, six of them in cases involving alleged extramarital affairs. At Jubilee Hills police station, former station house officer Srinivasulu Reddy was suspended on August 8 over allegations of rape, extortion and blackmailing a woman. The post remained vacant until D. Ashok assumed charge on September 21.
Police will continue questioning Pawan during the four-day custody period and examine financial transactions and other evidence linked to the alleged racket.
