Telugu Man Scams US Woman, Escapes With Gold Worth $97K

A Telugu man, Sai Praveen Kommana, is charged with exploiting an elderly woman of more than $97,000 in gold in Clay County, Florida. Court records showed Praveen involved in such crimes in some earlier instances too. Police detained Praveen and set personal surety at $200,000.

Investigators said that Praveen played a key role in the scam. The victim said that someone claiming to be an agent of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) called her and said that the victim’s Social Security account had been compromised. The caller also sent him a fake CIA identification card.

After gaining the trust of the victim, the scammer instructed her to protect her money by buying gold bars and storing them safely.

The fake CIA agent then guided the victim on phone to buy the gold worth $97,240 from a Kansas City jeweler. On Sept. 11, 2025, Praveen visited the victim’s house and collected the gold. The victim realized that she was deceived only after Praveen left her house and soon, she contacted the law enforcement agency.

Then the victim’s family members tried to retrieve the CCTV footage at the front door of their house to alert the police but they found it went dark right at the time, Praveen visited their home for taking away the gold. It is not known if the accused intentionally blocked the camera or if there was a glitch.

However, the Excelsior Spring Police Department, in association with the FBI, found that Praveen was linked to the case on finding images of the victim’s package in his phone.