‘Scam artist’ arrested after allegedly stealing nearly $25K from elderly Peters Township man

Cara Sapida

May 17, 2024 at 7:45 PM·1 min read

Peters Township police took Naresh Garapati into custody outside of a Peters Township home where he had already been twice this week, allegedly stealing from an elderly man.

Tonight, the police chief is praising his officers for catching the alleged scam artist - the type of criminal who is hard to catch and typically leaves the state after a cash transaction occurs.

The victim withdrew nearly $25,000 from his PNC account and handed it to the suspect in person outside of his house. Garapati allegedly told the victim he was putting the money in a safe bank account under a computer breach was resolved.

“These folks are very difficult to catch, very good at what they do. They are professionals at scamming people out of money. We were actually surprised they came back the third time,” Police Chief Joseph Glover said.

The suspect wanted a third money delivery and that’s how he got caught. Undercover officers were waiting all around the street, and as the victim handed over an envelope, an officer came from behind the front door and arrested Garapati.

Garapati is being held without bond in the Washington County Jail.

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‘Scam artist’ arrested after allegedly stealing nearly $25K from elderly Peters Township man

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