A 45-year-old man was arrested on Sunday for allegedly defrauding a Karnataka Administrative Service (KAS) officer by claiming to have close ties with the chief minister’s office (CMO) and forging signatures and documents for the fraud, according to Vidhana Soudha police officers familiar with the case.
The accused, Raghavendra, a resident of Haveri district, previously worked in the Vidhana Soudha and served as a personal assistant to several legislators before being fired for misconduct, they said.
According to police, Raghavendra approached the KAS officer with the promise of a high-level posting in Bengaluru. According to the report, the officer paid an advance of ₹50,000 for the alleged appointment.
To back up his claim, Raghavendra allegedly provided a forged document resembling an official note from the CMO and directed the department of personnel and administrative reforms (DPAR) secretary to approve the posting.
However, when DPAR officials saw the document, they suspected foul play and sought confirmation from the CMO, revealing the forgery. The accused allegedly forged the signature of the chief minister’s secretary on the document.
“We arrested Raghavendra in Ranebennur after confirming his involvement. “He was booked under BNS section 319 (cheating by personation) and brought before the ACMM court, which remanded him in judicial custody for 14 days,” said central division DCP Shekhar H Tekkannavar.
