Shivamogga: The Tunganagar police on Tuesday arrested a man for allegedly impersonating the personal assistant to chief minister DK Shivakumar and cheating a local resident out of Rs 15 lakh on the promise of obtaining a recreation club licence.The arrest followed a complaint filed by Manjunath Hanji, a farmer from KHB Colony in Shivamogga.Based on the complaint, Tunganagar police registered a case under the BNS against the accused, identified as Hemanth Kumar alias Ganesh.According to police, Hemanth Kumar falsely claimed to be the chief minister’s personal assistant and assured the complainant that he could secure a recreation club licence. Over multiple transactions, he allegedly collected ₹15 lakh from the victim through PhonePe transfers as well as cash payments made at Sai International Hotel and in the Vaddinakoppa area of Shivamogga.After receiving the money, the accused neither obtained the licence nor returned the funds, and subsequently went absconding.Following a targeted operation, Tunganagar police traced and arrested Hemanth Kumar. He was produced before a court and remanded to judicial custody.Shivamogga superintendent of police B Nikhil said further investigations are under way to ascertain whether the accused duped others using a similar modus operandi.
