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Hyderabad: Cybercrime police arrested two accused in a major corporate extortion racket, targeting Hetero Group of Companies, one of India’s largest pharmaceutical organizations based in Hyderabad.

According to the police, the accused Gadi Manikanta and Yendapalli Jessy Sudarshan were involved in a highly sophisticated extortion and cyber-intimidation racket.

A representative of the company filed a complaint after a senior employee received an anonymous ransom demand of USD 250 million.

Claiming to possess “confidential” and “damaging” data about the company, the emails threatened that if ransom were not paid, the fake information would be sent to the United States Food and Drug Administration (USFDA).

The accused created fake email accounts to impersonate USFDA officials while sending accusatory emails alleging regulatory violations and potential USFDA action.

Police confirmed that the accused used the private messenger app Signal to communicate with the company.

The complaint stated that the fabricated claims led to an actual USFDA inspection, damaging the company’s reputation.

Cybercrime crackdown

From November 12 to 18, the Cybercrime police in Cyberabad detected 11 cases and arrested 18 individuals across the state. Investigation revealed a pan-India network of cybercriminals from various states.

Out of the 18 arrests, fifteen were linked to trading fraud. A total of 17 mobile phones and 4 SIM cards were seized.

The Cybercrime Department also secured Rs 63,23,971 from the court to be refunded to the victims.