Daijiworld Media Network - Kundapur (JD)
Kundapur, March 1: Acting on credible information, Kundapur Police sub-inspector Nanja Nayak, along with his team, conducted a search operation at an application centre on Ferry Road in Kasaba village, Kundapur taluk, leading to the discovery of numerous counterfeit government stamps.
The operation, which took place at around 5:00 PM, was carried out under a search warrant obtained from the court.
Upon arriving at the application centre, the police found it open and the centre's owner, Kodi Nagesh, present. After presenting the court-issued search warrant, the officers informed Nagesh of the ongoing proceedings.
File photo
In the presence of witnesses, the team conducted a thorough search of the premises. During the search, they discovered two computer monitors and a CPU, both of which were turned off. Further inspection of a drawer revealed a plastic bag containing several rubber stamps bearing official government seals.
Among the counterfeit stamps seized were those from several prominent government offices, including the sub-registrar of Byndoor, the sub-registrar of births & deaths at Kundapura taluk Public Hospital, the grama panchayat office in Bijadi, the deputy commissioner's office of Udupi district, the registrar of births & deaths at the Udupi City Municipal Council, the town municipal office in Kundapur, and the tahsildar of Kundapur taluk.
Additionally, stamps belonging to the president of the grama panchayat in Basrur, the headmaster of Government Higher Primary School in Navunda, the health officer of Government Hospital in Kundapura, and the registrar of Marriage in Kundapura were also found.
Other stamps discovered included those of the headmaster of Bharath Mata High School in Mooduru, the medical officer and sub-registrar of births & deaths at the District Hospital in Udupi, the panchayat development officer of Gopadi grama panchayat, and the assistant executive engineer of the Public Works Department in Kundapur taluk.
Also seized were stamps from the president of Shikshana Bharati Credit Cooperative Society in Kodi, the deputy tahsildar of Udupi, the taluk surveyor of Kundapur, and the marriage officer at the Kundapura office. Furthermore, a rubber stamp featuring a date-month-year format was found.
The police suspect that Kodi Nagesh was using these counterfeit government stamps to forge official documents and signatures, potentially misleading the public. All seized items have been taken into custody for further legal proceedings.
Following the discovery, Kundapura police station has registered a case, and the investigation is ongoing to determine the full extent of the operation and its implications.