Fake Rythu Bharosa credit messages trigger confusion among Telangana farmers; cyber complaint lodged

Hyderabad: SMS messages claiming that Rythu Bharosa funds had been credited to farmers’ bank accounts triggered confusion across Telangana on Wednesday, prompting the Agriculture Department to lodge a complaint with the Cyber Crime police.

The messages, sent in the name of Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy, claimed that Rs 12,000 per acre had been credited annually under the scheme. However, farmers who checked their bank accounts found no deposits and shared the messages on WhatsApp groups, seeking clarification.

The Agriculture Department clarified that the government had not released the funds and that it had neither sent the messages nor authorised their circulation. According to a report from the C-DAC portal, unauthorised messages had reached around 2,73,128 farmers across the State.

Agriculture Director B Gopi wrote to the DGP and senior Cyber Crime officials seeking a detailed investigation. The department suspected that its name may have been misused through unauthorised access to SMS communication systems or other SMS gateways.

The complaint sought identification of the gateways from which the messages originated, the persons or agencies responsible, and examination of possible unauthorised access to the C-DAC SMS service portal and other gateways. It also called for scrutiny of technical evidence, including transmission logs, sender IDs and IP addresses, and legal action against those responsible.

Farmers have been advised not to believe messages about fund releases unless confirmed through official announcements. They were also cautioned against clicking suspicious links or sharing bank details, OTPs or other personal information.