Lokayukta police issue alert on impostor

The Lokayukta police have issued an alert following information about a dismissed police constable posing as city Lokayukta Superintendent of Police P K Shivashankar, and attempting to extort money from government officials.

Murugappa Ningappa Kumbar, the constable, was first arrested in June 2012 following a complaint from Gopal, an Executive Engineer of Market Development Project.

Gopal said he received calls from a person claiming to be the City SP, demanding Rs 50,000 and threatening to send him to jail, if the money was not paid. The Lokayukta police, after investigation, rounded up Kumbar, who hails from Chikodi taluk in Belgaum.

The police also found that Kumbar was making calls to officials threatening them of raids and extorted money from them.

Many of these calls were made when he was lodged in Hindalga prison of Belgaum, where he was imprisoned for threatening officials for ransom. He also has cases pending against him in Koppal, Haveri and Karwar districts.

The case was then handed over to Vidhana Soudha police for investigation. But recently, the Lokayukta police started receiving calls once again from government officials stating they were being threatened of raids, if they did not part with money. These complaints have been received by officials from Dharwad and Belgaum.

The Lokayukta officials have warned that these calls are emanating from the cellphone number 9731085463 and have requested officials who have received such calls, to inform them immediately.