An incident where an unidentified person deceived Telangana TDP leaders by pretending to have made a video call to Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu and former minister Devineni Uma using AI has come to light. On the 30th of last month, a person called some TDP leaders from Sathupalli in Khammam district of Telangana. He introduced himself as former minister Devineni Uma PA.
He said that he would make a video call. After a while, he made a video call and spoke as Uma Maheshwara Rao. Then he suggested to them that the TDP should be strengthened in Telangana and that they should help for the education of the children of the party workers. He gave some phone numbers and asked to send money to them through PhonePe. Believing that they were genuine, they paid Rs. 35,000 to 3 numbers.
Similarly, on the 7th of this month, the person called TDP leaders again in the name of Devineni, saying that the notification for the upcoming local body elections in Telangana had been released and that he would give them the party B. Form. He assured them that Chandrababu would also talk to them. After a while, a video call came. In it, a person who looked like CM Chandrababu spoke.
The TDP leaders in Sathupalli believed that CM Chandrababu had really spoken. Later, Devineni Uma spoke to them in the video call, saying that he would take them to CM Chandrababu if he came to Amaravati and give them the party B. Forms. With this, 18 TDP leaders from Sathupalli came to Vijayawada. He also advised them to stay at a hotel on Bandaru Road in Vijayawada.
Apart from that, he also called the hotel and said that leaders of his party were coming and that he would see to the food facilities they needed and that he would pay the bill himself. The hotel staff also believed it to be true. 18 TDP leaders from Sathupalli reached Vijayawada and stayed at the hotel. Everyone had lunch.
The bill came to Rs. 26,000. They waited for Uma till evening. After that, the person made a video call again and told Chandrababu that only 8 people were allowed and that each person should pay Rs. 10,000, which made the leaders suspicious. In the meantime, the hotel staff came and pressured them to pay the bill. The two sides quarreled over this. After receiving the information, the police came there and inquired about the matter.
They immediately called Devineni and spoke to him. Former minister Devineni told the police that he had not made a video call to anyone and that he had recently received information that a person named Bhargav from Eluru district was doing such frauds. The police advised the Telangana leaders to file a complaint about this. However, they did not file a complaint as they felt it would damage their reputation. The police arranged for them to pay only half of the hotel bill and sent them away.