Treasury dept official cheats man of Rs 50 lakh

A general manager at a Dubai-based firm in Bengaluru has filed a cheating case against the assistant director of the Treasury Department for duping him of Rs 50 lakh by promising a government job through the Karnataka Public Service Commission (KPSC).

After his name failed to show up in the lists released by KPSC and when his demands of getting back his money fell on deaf ears, victim Girish K R (38), a resident of Vijayanagar, filed a complaint with the Basaveshwaranagar police on March 10.

In his complaint, Girish stated he had applied for a post of a sub-registrar with the KPSC in 2016. Soon he came in contact with Sangapura, the assistant director of the Treasury Department, through his wife who was a government servant and worked in the same building.

Sangapura assured Girish that he could get him the job claiming that he is a close friend of KPSC Chairman and demanded Rs 70 lakh bribe. Girish agreed to pay the money in instalments.

Girish arranged the money by selling his ancestral property owned by his grandfather, selling gold jewellery his family had, along with a bank loan and borrowing from his friend. In all, he paid Rs 50 lakh to Sangapura in four instalments from October to December 2017.

Following the payment, Sangapura introduced Girish to a senior High Court advocate identified as TC Hanumanthappa who claimed to be close to the KPSC chairman. He assured Girish that his name would be in the first list.

The cheating came to light when Girish did not find his name even in the second list of successful candidates who secured a job through the KPSC.

When he tried contacting Sangapura, his mobile phone was switched off. After repeated attempts, Sangapura’s aides picked up the calls and threatened Girish with dire consequences warning him not to contact him for money.

With no option left, Girish filed the complaint with the Basaveshwaranagar police.

“I am not the only victim,” Girish said. “Sangapura cheated many others. When they filed a police complaint against them, he filed a counter complaint accusing them of atrocity by playing on his minority identity. He’d blackmail the opposite parties to withdraw the cases using his lawyers."