Pune: MIT World Peace University Loses Rs 2.46 Crore in Scam, Hyderabad Man in Custody
Kothrud, 24th September 2025: The Pune Cyber Police have arrested a Hyderabad resident, Sittayya Kilaru (34), for allegedly cheating MIT World Peace University of ₹2.46 crore by posing as a mediator for AI and drone projects from IIT Bombay.
Fraudulent Modus Operandi
According to police, Kilaru deceived the university by using emails and WhatsApp calls to present fake projects. He falsely claimed links with an IIT Bombay professor and convinced the complainant to transfer large sums of money, resulting in heavy financial losses for the institute.
Investigation and Arrest
The case was registered at Pune Cyber Police Station under Crime Register No. 96/2025. A probe led by Senior Police Inspector Swapnali Shinde revealed that the accused was not associated with IIT Bombay but was, in fact, a resident of Yepral, Hyderabad.
Following extensive surveillance in areas including Sai Nagar, Pragati Nagar, Nizampet, Gachibowli, and Yepral, the cyber team arrested Kilaru on September 21, 2025. He was produced before a Hyderabad court, granted transit remand, and later brought to Pune. A Pune court has remanded him in police custody until September 28, 2025.
Assets Seized
During the operation, police seized assets worth around ₹50 lakh, including:
10 debit cards, 13 passbooks, 15 checkbooks
One 5G SIM card and gold purchase receipts
Four mobile phones, a tablet, and a laptop
Gold ornaments worth ₹1.05 lakh
Two cars valued at ₹48 lakh
Background of the Accused
Originally from Vijayawada, Kilaru is highly qualified. He completed his ENTC engineering in 2010, pursued a Master’s degree at Staffordshire University, London, and later earned a Ph.D. from Birmingham University. Between 2015 and 2018, he worked as a professor at various Hyderabad universities. He also cleared the UPSC preliminary and main examinations in 2019 and 2020.
However, police said that Kilaru has been unemployed since 2022 following family disputes, which allegedly pushed him into fraudulent activities. He is a habitual offender with multiple cases registered against him in Hyderabad and across Telangana under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, and the Information Technology Act.
Police Team
The operation was conducted under the guidance of Police Commissioner Amitesh Kumar, Joint Commissioner Ranjan Kumar Sharma, Additional Commissioner of Police (Crime) Pankaj Deshmukh, Deputy Commissioners Vivek Masal and Rajlakshmi Shivankar, and Assistant Commissioner Machhindra Khade.
The cyber police team included Senior Police Inspector Swapnali Shinde, Police Inspector Sangita Devkate, and police personnel Sandeep Mundhe, Balasaheb Chavan, Navnath Konde, Sandeep Karkud, Tina Kamble, Amol Kadam, Sachin Shinde, Supriya Holkar, Gangadhar Kale, Adnan Sheikh, Satish Mandhare, and Krishna Markad.
