The Gauribidanur police have arrested a 21-year-old man, who posed as a Lokayukta officer and extorted money from a Chikkaballapur City Municipal Council official by threatening to raid him on corruption charges.

The accused, identified as Channakeshava Reddy, a PU dropout from Satya Sai district in Andhra Pradesh, was traced and apprehended nearly 10 months after the complaint was filed in May 2024. Acting on the tip-off, the police tracked him down and arrested him.

Officials revealed that Reddy is a repeat offender, previously involved in similar blackmailing cases in Mangaluru last year. His modus operandi included making WhatsApp calls to government officials, falsely claiming that a corruption case was registered against them. He would threaten immediate raids on their offices and residences and then demand money in exchange for dropping the supposed charges.

Police have also launched a hunt for his accomplice, Dhanush Reddy, who reportedly assisted him in the blackmail operations and is currently absconding.

Authorities are continuing their investigation to uncover the full extent of Channakeshava Reddy’s criminal activities and whether more officials fell prey to his scheme.