Anajur Tejaswi sentenced after collecting $47,500 from Granville post box

A truckie who acted as a mule to rip off elderly people has learned his fate after they sent their life savings to his Sydney post box, with some wads wrapped in a blanket.

Anajur Tejaswi was sentenced for collecting thousands of dollars from elderly victims.

Truckie Anajur Tejaswi has been sentenced for collecting $47,500 from elderly people who were tricked into sending it to him as part of an alleged phone scam.

In September, the 42 year old pleaded guilty to recklessly dealing with proceeds of crimegreater than $5000 after another person named Michael Dunn, allegedly posed as a bank worker, ripped off seniors.

Mr Dunn allegedly got them to send cash to a private post office box, which traced back to Tejaswi at Granville.

Proposed facts tendered to Parramatta Local Court allege Dunn called people from Ettalong Beach on the Central Coast, Parkes in the state’s central west and Victoria, and asked them to send the money to Granville in September and October last year.

“Mr Dunn’’ allegedly told the Parkes woman he was from Commonwealth Bank security and told her to go to her local branch and withdraw $6000 cash.

She was allegedly told to wrap the money in a blanket and post a spoon in the package.

In October, the woman posted $6500, which Tejaswi was captured collecting on CCTV.

Tens of thousands of dollars was sent to Anajur Tejaswi’s post office box at Granville.

The court heard how messages and photos on Tejaswi’s mobile phone showed him receiving photos and messages to collect the parcels.

Videos also captured him filming the opening of the parcels and “counting significant amounts of money on camera”.

Police seized several empty express post bags and Australia Post tracking numbers on his phone.

They retrieved $25,000 cash that had been sent in a parcel from a 78-year-old Victorian man on October 26 last year. The money was returned to the man.

A woman from Ettalong Beach sent $10,000 bundled in a shirt after “Mr Dunn” called.

When interviewed, Tejaswi told police he was collecting the parcels and someone would give the “unknown persons’’ the money.

Tejaswi’s lawyer Pawel Kulisiewicz told the court on Thursday his client was a mule and had no criminal history.

Magistrate John McIntosh said elderly victims were thousands of dollars out of pocket after they withdrew from their life savings.

“This is a serious offence,’’ he said.

Tejaswi was handed a 12-month community correction order and must perform 50 hours of community service.

A conviction was recorded.