Granville: Anajur Tejaswi pleads guilty to recklessly deal with proceeds of crime greater than $5000

A truckie allegedly collected wads of cash from several elderly people after they were instructed to send money to a post box in western Sydney, a court has heard.

Truckie Anajur Tejaswi has entered a guilty plea after a person allegedly posing as a bank worker ripped off elderly people by $47,500 when he got them to send cash to a private post office box that police traced back to one belonging to Mr Tejaswi at Granville.

Proposed facts tendered to Parramatta Local Court allege how a man purporting to be a bank worker named Michael Dunn called several people from Parkes, Ettalong Beach in NSW and Victoria, and successfully asked them to send hefty sums of cash to Granville in September and October 2021.

Police did not suggest Mr Tejaswi made any of the phone calls.

The papers allege that “Mr Dunn” told a woman from Parkes in central west NSW that he was from Commonwealth Bank security and instructed her to attend her local branch and make a $6000 cash withdrawal.

The woman was allegedly told to wrap the money in a blanket, place a spoon in there and attend Parkes post office to send the parcel to the PO box in Granville.

He called again in October and requested another $6500 cash. As requested, the woman wrapped the cash in a towel before dispatching it to Granville.

Police obtained CCTV footage and saw the PO box was registered under Mr Tejaswi’s name after they attended Australia Post Granville on October 22 last year.

Anajur Tejaswi at his first court appearance in January.

A week later, Mr Tejaswi was arrested and court papers allege a review of his mobile phone included several messages and photos that identified him receiving parcels and messages to collect the items.

Police allege several videos captured Mr Tejaswi filming the opening of the parcels and “counting significant amounts of money on camera”.

During the search of his Boundary St home, police allegedly located multiple empty express post bags and video analysis in Mr Tejaswi’s phone identified tracking numbers through Australia Post.

Investigators say they were successful obtaining statements from six elderly victims throughout Australia.

Mr Tejaswi was interviewed when he allegedly stated he was collecting the parcels and someone would meet him where he would give the “unknown persons” the money.

This week, he pleaded guilty to recklessly deal with proceeds of crime greater than $5000.

Seven other charges were dropped. They were six counts of deal with the property of crime less than $100,000 and recklessly deal with the proceeds of crime greater than $5000.

When Mr Tejaswi was charged on October 29, cops allegedly retrieved $25,000 cash that had been sent in a parcel from a 78-year-old Victorian man three days earlier.

The man allegedly sent the cash, which he wrapped in pants and paper, to Granville after he received a phone call from a person purporting to be from NAB security.

The money was returned to him.

The alleged victim also sent $10,000 after being instructed to wrap it in foil and brown paper and send it to Granville.

Another alleged victim from Ettalong Beach on the NSW Central Coast sent $10,000 cash bundled in a shirt after she received a phone call from a person saying his name was Michael Dunn. Australia Post confirmed the $10,000 was sent to the Granville PO Box.

Mr Tejaswi’s bail was continued and he is due to be sentenced on November 3.

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