Salina Police and Saline County Sheriff Deputies working together arrested a couple of men who scammed a Saline County couple out of over $120,000.
According to Saline County Undersheriff Brent Melander, back on July 29th a couple in their 70s were contacted by someone claiming to be with the United States Treasurer’s Office. The couple were told they were victims of identity theft, and their information was used to withdraw $3.7 million in cash from various banks.
They were told they were accused of laundering money, but they could clear the court cases by sending $80,000 in cash, which would later be refunded.
The couple withdrew $40,000 in cash from their bank twice, and sent two packages each with $40,000 cash in it, to an address in Downey, California.
The couple were again contacted on August 31st and told they needed to provide more cash. This time they were given a code word, and told a “courier” would meet them at a particular location in Saline County, near their home. They withdrew $46,461 in cash from their bank, met the “courier”, and and gave it to him.
The couple was then contacted a third time, and told one final $40,000 payment was required, and again needed to handed over locally to a “courier”. Their bank became concerned when the couple again wanted to withdraw a large amount of money, and reached out to one of their relatives. The relative convinced the couple to contact the sheriff’s office.
Melander says an exchange was arranged again, but this time at a different location. Though the “courier” was suspicious, a meeting on Wednesday outside a shopping plaza in the 2300 block of South 9th Street was agreed upon. As the exchange was made, police and sheriff deputies were waiting nearby, and immediately took the “courier”, two men from Illinois, into custody. They are identified as:
- 27-year-old Naga Raju Teegala – Aurora, Illinois
- 27-year-old Gallipally Pruthwik Goud – Wheeling, Illinois
Each could face charges which include:
- Agg intim of witness/victim; Furthur conspiracy
- Criminal threat; Cause terror, evacuation or disruption
- False impersonation
- Mistreat dep adult/elder; Deception $100K-<$250K
- Theft by deception;Value over $100,000
Melander says the investigation is continuing, but the $126,461 in cash the couple had already provided has not been recovered. He reminds everyone that a government agency will never ask for payment in cash.
Gallipally Pruthwik Goud
Naga Raju Teegala
