BENGALURU: A fake Lokayukta officer has been arrested by the sleuths of the Central Crime Branch (CCB) after a government officer filed a complaint.
The accused, Sreenath Reddy (34), is from Andhra Pradesh, and has been an active criminal since 2007. Earlier, he used to commit thefts in locked houses.
Later, after getting inspired watching a few Telugu movies, he started targeting government officials. The accused, who has studied till 10th, is said to have cheated 36 government officials, of whom, only one has filed a police complaint.
Reddy has allegedly cheated government officials in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana as well.
The only complaint against him was filed at the Vidhana Soudha police station and the case was transferred to CCB.
Reddy used to call government officials over phone, claiming to be a Lokayukta Inspector Chandrashekar and extorted money from them. He randomly selected his victims, and threatened them saying petitions were pending against them. He told them to pay him to close their cases. Reddy also took the name of Keshav Rao, claiming to be an ADGP-rank officer in the Lokayukta.
He would later assure them that the technical wing of Lokayukta would file a B report without conducting any inquiry.
The government official, Ramadas, who got a call from Reddy, filed the complaint.
Reddy has many cases against him in Electronic City, Begur, Hebbagodi, Attibele, Jigani and other police station limits. He is said to have cheated government officers in Siddapura and High Grounds police limits as well.
After his arrest, Reddy told the investigators that he had cheated 36 officials in Karnataka.
The police are yet to ascertain the total amount he collected from his victims.