Bengaluru: The Bengaluru South Division police have arrested a gang of three, including a 50-year-old dismissed police constable, for allegedly blackmailing officials and extorting money posing as Anti Corruption Bureau personnel.
Murugappa Ningappa Kumbara from Chikkodi worked as a police constable in Belagavi for 16 years. He was dismissed from service for illegal activities and imprisoned. He had allegedly blackmailed over 24 officials of various departments and secretaries in the Vidhana Soudha for the past eight years.
The racket came to light when Murugappa called Prasanna Kumar, an Assistant Executive Engineer with BWSSB in Hosakote. Posing as Dy. SP Purushotham from ACB, he demanded Rs. 90,000 threatening to foist a case under the PC Act if he did not oblige.
Prasanna Kumar deposited the cash in the bank account as instructed by Murugappa. Later, he filed a complaint with the Banashankari police.
Based on the complaint, a police team led by T.T. Krishna tracked down the man into whose bank account the money was deposited. His name is Amar Singh.
A detailed inquiry revealed that he was also a part of the racket along with Abubakar. Both are habitual offenders who befriended Murugappa in jail. The police arrested Abubakar and Murugappa.
The trio claimed that they had obtained 10 SIM cards from a mentally challenged woman in Hubballi. These were used to make the extortion calls. Murugappa would call Abubakar from Jail. Abubakar would put him on to the victim by starting a conference call.
The trio were involved in cases registered in Vidhana Soudha, Halasooru Gate, Kamakshipalya, Belagavi, Hubballi, Dharwad, Karawara, Yelaburagi, Holenarasipura, Chanarayapattana, Beluru, Mandarangi, Hunasuru and Tumakuru police stations.
