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A shameless conman who filmed himself counting thousands of pounds in cash he scammed from elderly pensioners has been jailed.
Rohith-Reddy Kananala, 28, posed as a fraud investigator to prey on vulnerable people across the UK.
He told the victims their bank or building society had been compromised by criminals and persuaded them to withdraw their savings.
Kananala then told them to send the cash via Royal Mail special delivery to an address in Kimberley Road, Leicester.
The address was in fact Kananala’s home which he used to receive the cash, signing for it as ‘William’.
During the con, which he committed over a few days in March, Kananala swindled £30,000 from eight pensioners aged between 79 and 88.
Kananala was caught when police swooped on his home and found him wearing the same T-shirt he had on for the video.
Detectives from the East Midlands Special Operations Unit (EMSOU) also seized £3,000 in cash he had at the property.
Rohith-Reddy Kananala, 28, posed as a fraud investigator to prey on vulnerable people across the UK. He was seen shamelessly flaunting his cash in a video recovered by police
The video showed the 28-year-old crook packaging his ill-gotten gains into an envelope
Kananala used his home address to receive the cash. Pictured are officers breaking into the property to detain the crook
Kananala swindled £30,000 from eight pensioners aged between 79 and 88 in a matter of days. Here he is seen being detained by police after they raided his home
He admitted possession of criminal property and attempted possession of criminal property at Leicester Crown Court and was jailed for 12 months.
EMSOU’s Senior Criminal Finances Manager, Graham Prince, said: ‘This fraud may be relatively simple, but it has proven incredibly effective.
‘It plays on people’s innate trust of those seemingly in authority, as well as their instinct to protect what they hold dear.
‘The acute effects are that victims often like feel they have suffered an invasion, with the fraudster having reached into their homes – where they feel the safest – and manipulated their good faith; not to mention stealing a big chunk of their savings.
‘While the lost money has a number on it, the cost to their sense of safety is immeasurable.
‘I am pleased we were able to identify and act as quickly as we did, avoiding anyone else being subjected to this deception.
Kananala was caught when police swooped on his home and found him wearing the same T-shirt he had on for the video. He has since been jailed for 12 months
‘The police, banks or other government agencies will never ask you to withdraw cash and send it to them.
‘Please treat any requests suspiciously and seek advice from family and friends.’
Police investigators are seeking to recover the swindled money through the Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA).
Leicestershire Police refused to provide images identifying Kananala.
