Fake naval officer gets 12 years jail for duping job aspirants in Vizag

Visakhapatnam: A Gajuwaka court on Monday sentenced 45-year-old Gadi Satya Surya Chalapathi Rao, alias Sasikanth alias Srikanth, to 12 years' rigorous imprisonment for impersonating a naval officer and cheating youth with false promises of jobs in the Indian Navy. The court also imposed a fine of ₹30,000 and directed him to pay ₹18.6 lakh as compensation to the victims.Inspector T Kamesh of New Port police station said Chalapathi Rao duped aspirants in Vizag, Vijayawada, and parts of Hyderabad for over a decade, collecting sums ranging from ₹5 lakh to ₹10 lakh. He had been absconding for more than three years in connection with a cheating case under New Port limits before being arrested in December 2025.The accused had earlier faced multiple arrests in Vizag and Vijayawada for similar offences. A few years ago, he was caught attempting to enter the Eastern Naval Command base in Vizag, posing as a naval officer to defraud Agniveer aspirants.An alumnus of a Sainik school in Odisha and a BTech graduate, Chalapathi Rao initially worked as a civil engineer before turning to crime for easy money. After regular trial proceedings, the court handed down the 12-year sentence along with fines and compensation orders.