Mangaluru: In a major breakthrough, the Kankanady Town police have nabbed a 25-year-old man for fabricating and circulating counterfeit Mangaluru City Corporation (MCC) trade licences and property tax receipts. The accused, identified as Prithviraj Shetty alias Munna, was taken into custody on July 25, following several days in hiding.
The fraud came to light when Balakrishna Suvarna, owner of Sri Raja Durga Furniture Works, visited the MCC office for legal documentation. Officials revealed that his trade licence and tax records had expired—despite having what appeared to be valid paperwork. Further inquiry confirmed the documents were forged, and Suvarna had paid Rs 27,990 to the accused under false pretenses.
Following complaints from Suvarna and the MCC commissioner, a case was filed and an investigation launched. A similar complaint emerged in Barke, where Devang K Patel, owner of Lakshmi Hardware Works, reported being duped by the same individual.
Police discovered that Shetty had gone into hiding, shuttling between locations in Kerala. Upon receiving a tip that he had returned to Kinnigoli, a team apprehended him.
Interrogation revealed that Shetty had access to business records from his father’s prior employment as an accountant. He manipulated official MCC documents using mobile OTPs, previous-year records, and editing apps to produce fraudulent papers. Devices used in the scam have been seized.
Shetty is now in judicial custody, while police continue investigations, suspecting more victims across Kankanady and Barke.