Ex-constable held for posing as Lokayukta DSP, duping officials

A former police constable was arrested on Saturday for allegedly inpersonating a senior Lokayukta official in order to extort money from government officials

A former police constable was arrested on Saturday for allegedly inpersonating a senior Lokayukta official in order to extort money from government officials, police officers aware of the matter said on Sunday.

Ex-constable held for posing as Lokayukta DSP, duping officials

According to police, the accused, 60-year-old Murigappa Ningappa Kumbara is from Sadalaga in Belagavi district. Police seized two mobile phones and nine SIM cards from his possession

According to investigators, Murigappa served in the police department for 17 years and was later deputed to the Lokayukta for three years before being dismissed from service for misusing official warrants.

Following his dismissal, he allegedly began posing as Lokayukta DSP Shivaprasad from Bengaluru South, calling government officers and demanding bribes to “close” complaints against them, said police.

“We received a complaint from a child development scheme officer in Magadi taluk who reported that someone claiming to be a Lokayukta DSP had demanded money from him. Our team traced the mobile number and confirmed his location in Jaiyasinghpur village of Shirol taluk in Maharashtra’s Kolhapur district,” said Aijur police sub inspector George Prakash.

He was produced before court and remanded to judicial custody on Sunday, said Prakash, adding that the court also ordered medical treatment for his kidney condition.

During interrogation, police said, Murigappa confessed to manipulating Truecaller to appear credible, Prakash said.

“More than 50 cases of fraud and impersonation have been registered against him across 15 districts,” Prakash said.