JOIN USClaiming to be an MLA candidate from Mysuru, driving a Toyota Fortuner and guarded by gunmen in safari suits, a 39-year-old man cheated many people of crores. His victims are from Bengaluru, Mysuru and other parts of Karnataka.
The Basaveshwaranagar police have arrested Somanna L, a resident of Godrej Apartments in Sahakaranagar and a native of Mysuru, but are
yet to recover his victims' money.
Two of his associates, Renukesh and Anthony, are yet to be arrested. The police suspect Somanna to have conned a large number of people to the tune of Rs 6 crore.
According to the police, Somanna placed orders with a group of city-based gold jewellers for gold biscuits and mangala sutras saying he wanted to conduct mass weddings and gift the jewellery to the people of the constituency from where he would be contesting.
He said he would possibly contest from Molakalmuru, Challakere, Nayakanahatti or Mysuru as he has managed to get a ticket from the Congress party, the police said.
Somanna also claimed that he was a close associate of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.
The suspect would say that he was denied a JD(S) ticket even after he was ready to offer Rs 5 crore, the police said.
A good number of jewellers fell for his claims and did business with him thinking that he would return their money but in vain.
Suraj, a resident of Basaveshwaranagar and one of the victims, lodged a complaint with police. Based on his complaint, the police arrested Somanna after which many victims turned up claiming to have been cheated by him in a similar manner.
The police later learnt that cases were registered against Somanna at the Vyalikaval police station for cheating Rs 2.5 crore, at Kodigehalli police station for Rs 1.5 crore and the victims were still thronging the Basaveshwaranagar
police station to lodge complaints.
There were also two cases of cheating Rs 94 lakh each lodged against Somanna at the Basaveshwaranagar police station.
He even had cases at the Nazarbad police station in Mysuru, the police added.