Fake CM aide arrested in Rs 15 L recreation club licence fraud

Shivamogga: A man was arrested by Tunganagar police in Shivamogga on Thursday, July 30 after he allegedly duped a farmer of Rs 15 lakh by falsely claiming to be Chief Minister D K Shivakumar’s personal assistant.

Police identified the accused as Hemanth Kumar alias Ganesh. The action followed a complaint lodged by Manjunath Hanji of KHB Colony, who said that the accused had promised to obtain official permission for a recreation club in exchange for money.

Investigators said Hemanth Kumar allegedly convinced the complainant that he had direct access to the Chief Minister’s office and could secure the required licence. Acting on this assurance, the complainant transferred money through digital payments and also handed over cash during meetings held at Sai International Hotel and Vaddinakoppa.

After collecting Rs 15 lakh, the accused allegedly failed to arrange the licence and stopped responding to the complainant, police said. When repeated efforts to recover the money proved unsuccessful, the victim filed a complaint.

Following an investigation, police tracked down Hemanth Kumar and arrested him. He was later produced before a court and remanded to judicial custody.

Superintendent of Police B Nikhil said officers are investigating whether the accused had cheated others by adopting a similar modus operandi and falsely claiming to represent the Chief Minister’s office. Further investigation is underway to identify additional victims and establish the full extent of the alleged fraud.