Rs. 43.88 lakh recovered

Malavalli: Belakawadi Police have arrested a man on charges of cheating a Trust to the tune of Rs. 1.10 crore and have recovered Rs. 43,88,500 from him.

The accused has been identified as Shiva alias Suri alias Surya alias Govardhan, a resident of Kuppam Mandal village in Andhra Pradesh. Another accused, Shambhulinga Swamiji of Viraktha Mutt at Hebbani village in the taluk has gone absconding, according to the Police.

Accused Shiva had married the daughter of Basavanayaka of Singanallur village of Chamarajanagar district in 2010-11 and has a son and a daughter. He was into real estate business, had learnt black magic and was cheating people, it is learnt.

In October 2023, Shiva, who met Sri Shambhulinga Swamiji of Nirvaneshwara Virakta Mutt in Hebbani village, told the Swamiji that he had come to purchase agricultural land and asked the Swamiji to get him the land from someone he knew. Shiva also told the Swamiji that he knew black magic. The duo then hatched a plot and the Swamiji introduced Shiva to Shalom Charitable Educational Trust Treasurer S. Mary as a big industrialist. The Trust is located at Shimshapura village in the taluk.

The Swamiji then told Mary that Shiva wanted to give donation for the development of the Trust. Mary then introduced the Swamiji and Shiva to Trust President Merin Pinto and Shiva was also felicitated by the Trust during which the Trust was told that Shiva wanted to donate Rs. 25 crore to the Trust and in return the Trust has to give him Rs. 1.10 crore in cash as he had to pay the tax.

Believing it, the office-bearers of the Trust readied the cash on Jan. 19 and informed the same to the Swamiji and Shiva. On Jan. 20, accused Shiva came to house of Mary’s sister in Shimshapura village with a bag containing 160 bundles of currency-like white paper with the seal of State Bank of India affixed on the bundles.

Shiva then asked Trust President Pinto and Treasurer Mary to show Rs. 1.10 crore cash and after seeing the cash, he kept the bag containing currency-like paper bundles next to them and gave Pinto and Mary the juice he had brought with him. Pinto and Mary were rendered unconscious after consuming the juice and Shiva fled withRs. 1.10 crore cash.

Pinto and Mary, who regained conscious after some time, saw Shiva and the cash missing. Realising that they have been cheated, they lodged a complaint with Belakavadi Police Station where Sub-Inspector V.C. Ashok registered a case. Superintendent of Police (SP) Yatish and Additional SP Thimmaiah, guided Dy.SP Krishnappa, Inspector B.S. Sridhar and staff, who conducted investigation and arrested accused Shiva on Jan. 28 on the Ring Road in Mysuru.

During interrogation, Shiva is said to have told the Police that the Trust had not given him Rs. 1.10 crore but Rs. 70 lakh out of which he had given Rs. 25 lakh to the Swamiji.

The Police, who have recovered Rs. 43,88,500 cash from Shiva have also seized a car. The Swamiji, who has been named the second accused, has gone absconding and the Police have launched a hunt to nab him.

Accused Shiva was remanded to judicial custody on Tuesday and the Police have taken Shiva into their custody on Friday for further questioning.