How right-wing activist duped a Karnataka bizman – Hindustan Times

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Bengaluru:
The Central Crime Branch (CCB) officials investigating the alleged cash-for-ticket scam involving Hindutva activist Chaitra Kundapur on Sunday said they now know how she used ₹3 crore a businessman gave her on a spurious promise of a Bharatiya Janata Party ticket in the recently concluded Karnataka state elections.
Police arrested Kundapur and six others on September 12 on charges of cheating Govind Babu Pujari (44) by falsely promising him a BJP ticket to contest the assembly elections from Byndoor in Udupi district.
Pujari filed a complaint at Bandepalya police station in Bengaluru on September 8 against eight people, including Kundapur, accusing them of extorting money from him by promising a BJP MLA ticket. Poojari owns Cheftalk Food and Hospitality Service Pvt Ltd, which has been running the subsidised Indira Canteens since 2017. The company also runs a hospitality business in several cities of Karnataka such as Bengaluru and Mysuru.
Elaborate swindle
The fraudsters included a pro-Hindutva activist, a seer, a kebab maker and a barber.
Kundapur and her associates convinced Pujari that they have connections with the leaders of the BJP and its ideological mentor, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, and the Prime Minister’s Office, while promising him a BJP ticket.
In 2022, Pujari is said to have been introduced to Kundapur by Prasad Bynduar, a mutual friend who claimed to be a BJP worker. At the time of introduction, Kundapur was popular in Karnataka as a pro-Hindutva activist, police said. “Bynduar had told Pujari that she was close to top BJP leaders in the state and Centre and could get anything done,” a police officer aware of the development said, declining to be named.
Once Pujari was convinced of her influence, an elaborate plan was made to dupe him, police said. Kundapur introduced Pujari to Gagan Kadur and Ramesh Naik, who posed as senior RSS leader Vishwanath from Chikkamagaluru, claiming he had over 45 years of experience as a campaigner in the organisation.
Pujari was also made to meet Channa Naik, who was introduced as a member of the BJP’s central election committee, in a posh residence in Bengaluru, police said.
To convince Pujari that Naik was an important functionary of the BJP, the accused used the official government car of Saalumarada Thimmakka, a 110-year-old environmentalist and Padma Shree awardee, who was given cabinet status by the Karnataka government, to access the secretariat and the state assembly.
Kadur was close to Thimmakka’s son Umesh, a CCB officer said. “He managed to get the official car and Channa Naik used to come to meet Pujari in the car. Naik and Pujari went to Kumara Krupa Guest House and Vidhana Soudha (state assembly) in the case,” the officer said, seeking anonymity. All this was done to dupe Pujari.
Ramesh Naik under the guise of Vishwanath also claimed to be a member of the BJP’s national election committee, and promised Pujari a ticket if ₹50 lakh was paid in three days to start the process and another ₹3 crore later. Ramesh Naik promised a full refund to Pujari if the ticket was not given, the CCB officer said.
Pujari told police that he gave ₹1.5 crore to a seer, Abhinava Halashree Swami, on Ramesh Naik’s directions. Kundapur had taken the complainant to the ashram and introduced him to the seer as Ramesh Naik’s friend.
Between July 7, 2022, and January 16, 2023, Pujari paid them ₹5 crore, he said in his complaint.
Days before the BJP announced its candidates for the Karnataka state election, Kadur allegedly informed Pujari that Vishwanath had died at a Kashmir hospital. Pujari became suspicious, enquired about it and found that there was no RSS leader named Vishwanath.
When Pujari asked for his money back, Kundapur and Kadur went incommunicado, after which the defrauded person approached police. The seer has been absconding since the arrest of Kundapur and police have launched a hunt for him.
Pujari later learnt that Ramesh Naik, who posed as RSS leader Vishwanath, worked at a hair dressing salon in Chikkamagaluru. Channa Naik, who posed as a BJP election committee leader, turned out to be a street vendor selling kebabs in Bengaluru’s KR Puram.
Rag to riches with ill-gotten money
Kundapur took most of the money, Abhinava Halashree of Halaswamy Mutt got about ₹1.5 crore and rest was distributed among the other accused, police said.
Kundapur invested ₹1.8 crore in fixed deposits in a co-operative bank in Kundapura and gold jewellery worth ₹65 lakh was found her house, according to CCB officials. Kundapur is said to have deposited ₹40 lakh in Shriram Bank with the help of a relative who worked at the lender.
The account has been seized by the authorities, police said, adding that they have recovered ₹23 lakh worth of gold biscuits kept in another bank locker belonging to Kundapur.
Kundapur used some of the money for construction as well — ₹40 lakh to build a new house for herself and ₹15 lakh to repair her sister’s house. She paid ₹12 lakh in cash and took loan to buy a high-end Kia car, the CCB officer said. “We seized the Kia car that Kundapur had bought from Mudhol in Bagalkote district,” the officer added.
Police have also found that ₹35 Lakh was spent on Kadur’s marriage and another ₹10 lakh for a new car for him. Ramesh Naik got ₹1.5 lakh, Channa Naik got ₹93,000 and ₹1.5 crore went to Halashree.
Three teams have been formed to arrest Halashree, who is said to be shifting his hideouts. On Sunday, the CCB took the seer’s Innova car and driver into custody from Mysuru. “We are searching for the seer, trying to locate him by interrogating the driver. We are trying to find out where he was last dropped, where he has taken shelter and other information,” the CCB official said.
Before his escape from Mysuru, the seer had reportedly bought four new SIM cards and four mobile phones. “He stopped his car in Mysuru and escaped. Before escaping, the number plate of the car was removed and it was parked at a relative’s house,” the CCB official added.
On Saturday, a court in Bengaluru adjourned the anticipatory bail application by the seer. The lawyer for the seer had applied for bail at a city court on September 15. The hearing has been adjourned to September 19, police said.
Kundapur and her six associates have confessed to their crime during interrogation, CCB officials said on Sunday. They admitted to have received ₹3 crore, instead of ₹5 crore as alleged by the victim, the officials said.
Political slugfest
The scam must have been done at the national level, Karnataka excise minister and Congress leader RB Thimmapur said on Sunday, alleging that a senior BJP leader must be behind it.
“It looks like a scam at the national level. Investigation will reveal all the scams, whether it is in Bagalkote, Karwar, Mangaluru, Madhya Pradesh, etc. It looks like Chaitra Kundapur was doing it at the national level. I think behind the curtains there must a senior BJP leader. He should be traced,” Thimmapur said.
Taking a jibe at the BJP leadership in Karnataka, former chief minister Jagadish Shettar on Sunday said, “When we see instances of not giving tickets to elders in the BJP, such cases come out. The BJP should introspect on this. People in real estate business are given tickets in Ramdurga. What does this mean? It is true that something has gone wrong. It is proven that the money transaction took place. Chaitra Kundapura being the accused proves this.”
Several BJP leaders including CT Ravi, V Sunil Kumar and Basavaraj Bommai have distanced themselves from the scam and said the party had anything to do with the cheating.
“I do not know anybody who is already arrested by the CCB officials in the connection of the case,” Kumar said. Other BJP leaders refused to comment.

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