Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru (SP)
Bengaluru, Feb 14: A gang of eight including the son of a former MLA, who used to take people for a raid by acting like being a minister by getting seated in a room in Vidhana Soudha in connivance with the staff, stands arrested.
The arrested accused happens to P Kartikeyan alias K K Shetty, son of former Shivajinagar MLA, Palaniyappan.
He had invited Tamil Nadu-based cashew nut dealer, Ramesh, to Vidhana Soudha. Posing as a minister in visitors room, he discussed business and collected Rs 1.12 crore by saying that it was needed to pay stamp duty. The Cubbon Park police who were approached by the complainant, verified the CCTV footage at Vidhana Soudha and found out that Karikeyan and his gang were involved with this racket.
P Kartikeyan, third from left, in lungi
Those who supported 'fake minister' Kartikeyan (60) in this task were his son, K Swaroop (32), accomplices, Manikanta Vasan alias Ajay (25) from Banashankari, K V Suman (27) from Tyagarajanagara, R Abhilash (27), R Kartik alias Selvam (34) from Tamil Nadu, M Prabhu alias Ramachandran (30), and John Moon alias Jobin (49) from Gurappanapalya. The police suspect that the gang would have cheated several others.
An insurance agent, Indira, had come to know Ramesh, a cashew nut dealer from Tamil Nadu. Ramesh was in need of a loan of Rs 100 crore. Through a person known to her, Indira established contact with Sundaram, Selvam, and Ajay. The accused promised to secure loan at 1 percent interest from minister's fund and sought stamp fee of 1.12 percent of the loan amount. When Ramesh visited Vidhana Soudha first floor on January 2, K K Shetty alias Karikeyan, who was seated in a room, was introduced as minister. Shetty handed over commission amount to Manikanta and went away.
The accused who led Ramesh to a five star hotel, got him to sign stamp papers, and obtained six photographs and five cheques of Mercantile Bank. After collecting Rs 1.12 crore in the hotel parking area, the accused went away. Ramesh, who realized late that he was taken for a raid, complained to Vidhana Soudha station, who thereafter transferred the case to Cubbon Park station.
Karikilayan used to roam around Vidhana Soudha, Vikasa Soudha and Legislators Home with four body guards. He used to hire government car from MLAs hostel and arrive at Vidhana Soudha. The body guards entered Vidhana Soudha through public passes. Karikeyan who had befriended some staff of the Vidhana Soudha used to sit in a vacant room and the body guards used to introduce him as a minister.
The police came to know that the accused paid Rs 5,000 to Malavalli Mahadeva who used to manage visitors room of MLC, Kota Srinivas Poojary. Poojary was not aware of this. Karikeyan got himself dropped into Vidhana Soudha premises by paying Rs 5,000 twice to the drivers of government cars parked in Legislators Home.
It is said that Indira too got one lac rupees commission from Ramesh for striking this cheap deal. Karikeyan used the money he so collected to build a temple near Karur, Tamil Nadu.
Deputy commissioner of police, central division, D Devaraj, said that a sum of Rs 40 lac has since been recovered from different accounts belonging to the accused.