HYDERABAD: For inspector Bandari Raju of Ichoda police station in Telangana’s Adilabad district, solving a crime didn’t require a gun—it needed a towel and a white lungi.He knew the power of the khaki uniform. But on this day, it would only get in the way. Determined to bust a growing racket of agents cheating vulnerable farmers at banks, Raju ditched his uniform, walked into a shop, bought a towel and a lungi, and transformed himself into what no one would suspect: An unassuming farmer.
The disguise worked flawlessly.Disguised as a distressed farmer, Raju approached middlemen who had built a business out of robbing the very people they claimed to help. Once he earned their trust, the trap was sprung. Two plainclothes officers, waiting nearby, would swoop in to make the arrests.
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Deceptive schemeThe modus operandi of these agents was simple but sinister. They offered to “help” farmers clear existing bank loans. Once the old loan was cleared—usually by depositing money into the farmer’s account—they would push the farmer to apply for a new loan, which typically included an increased credit limit of 20% to 30%.But there was a catch.After the new loan was disbursed, the agents would convince the farmer to transfer the full amount to their accounts. From that sum, they would only return the amount equivalent to the old loan, quietly siphoning off ₹10,000 or more from the excess—without the farmer realising they had been duped.“Many farmers genuinely believed these agents were doing them a favour,” inspector Raju said. “But in truth, the middlemen were lining their own pockets, preying on ignorance of the farmers,” he told TOI.Crackdown across AdilabadThe racket finally drew the attention of Adilabad’s top brass. District superintendent of police Akhil Mahajan launched a full-scale operation, forming 16 special teams to fan out across banks in rural mandals.While most officers followed conventional methods to track and arrest the suspects, inspector Raju’s undercover operation stood out for its creativity—and effectiveness.“I even changed my body language—stooped slightly to look older, wore spectacles to match the part. No one suspected a thing,” Raju said, recalling how he would casually chat with agents, confirm their shady dealings, and discreetly signal his team to move in.The operation culminated on Thursday with the arrest of 34 agents across the district—Gudihathnoor mandal–nine, Utnoor mandal–five, Narnoor mandal–11, Bela mandal–three, Bheempur mandal–two, Mavala mandal–one, and Indravelli mandal–three. Cheating cases were registered against the accused under section 118 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.Inspector Raju’s unconventional approach not only helped catch a network of fraudsters but also highlighted the urgent need for better financial literacy and safeguards for farmers navigating complex loan systems, a financial expert said.
