'KPSC member' who cheated job-hunters held after on run for days

A man who allegedly cheated several government job aspirants by claiming to be a member of the Karnataka Public Service Commission (KPSC) has finally been arrested.

A team of the Central Crime Branch (CCB), led by inspector Puneeth Kumar, arrested 40-year-old Davangere native Arun Kumar two days ago. On July 1, Vidhana Soudha police had registered a case of cheating against Kumar over a complaint that he had pocketed Rs 1.65 crore promising the jobs of excise department sub-inspectors.

The case against Kumar was based on a complaint by H B Jayadeva, a civil contractor from Davangere.

Kumar, who runs an educational institution at Kundur village in Davangere, allegedly boasted of high-level contacts in government departments and showed job aspirants a fake letter from the Karnataka governor's office showing his appointment to the KPSC, according to Jayadeva's complaint.

Police believe that Kumar took money from at least 12 job seekers and gave them fake appointment letters.

Curiously, an IAS officer had filed a complaint against Kumar in 2019 but no action was ever taken in that case. Kumar is said to have gone absconding after many job seekers and their families learnt about the fake appointment letters.