YouTube Lecturer who cheated CA for Rs.2.48 Cr now arrested

The Hyderabad police arrested 29-year-old Srinath Rathi, who runs a YouTube channel, for allegedly defrauding chartered accountants of Rs.2.48 crore by making false claims of huge returns on investments.

Rathi allegedly gathered money from chartered accountants, refunded little quantities initially, and then cut off communication after some time, police said.

CCS inspector D. Bikshapathi said that Rathi had his own YouTube channel where he delivered accounting classes. He used this to gain the trust of chartered accountants.

“The accused defrauded more than ten chartered accountants in Hyderabad, causing a total loss of Rs.2.48 crore. The victims have filed complaints with the Hyderabad CCS,” Bikshapathi stated.

A victim, who requested anonymity, stated that she learned about Rathi through his YouTube channel and had met him multiple times. “Rathi pretended to be my best friend,” he went on to say.

Initially, Rathi returned the money as agreed. “On February 11, he requested me to send Rs.10 lakh to purchase gold and promised to reimburse it within a week. By then, he was already supposed to pay me Rs.8 lakh,” the victim stated.

“Believing him, I sent him the funds. When I tried to call him on February 18, his phone was turned off. I then filed a complaint. To my surprise, there were eight complaints filed against him at the police station. We are concerned about the money we gave him, and we hope for justice,” he stated.