Hunsur Police register case against fake Inspector Akash

Hunsur:  A man, posing as an Inspector in the Regional Transport Office (RTO) and promising jobs to many at the Transport Department, has duped job-seekers to the tune of lakhs of rupees. Based on the complaint from victims, Hunsur Town Police have registered a case against the conman.

While the conman has been identified as Akash, a resident of Annur village in H.D. Kote, who has studied up to SSLC, the victims are Rangaswamy, a KSRTC Conductor, his brother Shankar, a taxi driver and their relative Ashok, residents of Kallimuddanahalli in Arakalgud taluk of Hassan district.

Details: In October 2021, Rangaswamy, a Conductor attached to Periyapatna KSRTC Depot, while on duty on Male Mahadeshwara Hill route, came to know about Akash and Akash, who introduced himself as the Brake Inspector at Chamarajanagar RTO, told Rangaswamy that he knew senior officials in the Department and also told him that he was very close with the top KSRTC officials, who recruit new people for the jobs in the Department. Akash is said to have told Rangaswamy to work as a RTO Inspector instead of a Conductor and also told Rangaswamy that he would get jobs to youths in the Transport Department if he sent them.

Believing him, Rangaswamy’s brother Shankar approached Akash to get him a job. Akash, who visited the house of Rangaswamy in December last, met his parents and told them that he would get Government jobs to their children. Finally, Akash agreed to get Rangaswamy and Ashok jobs of Inspector and a job of a driver to Shankar in the RTO. 

Akash, who had taken a room at a hotel on Hunsur Highway on Dec. 12, 2021, collected a total sum of Rs. 16 lakh from Rangaswamy, Ashok and Shankar. After three days, Akash handed over the appointment letters and Identity Cards (IDs) to the three and took them to Mysuru where he bought them uniforms from a shop near Lashkar Police Station and again collected Rs. 3.58 lakh from them.

The next day, Rangaswamy, Ashok and Shankar, went to Chamarajanagar RTO where they met the officials, showed them their appointment letters and ID cards and told the officials that they were reporting to duty. The officials, who examined and verified the letters and ID cards, told the three that  they were fake.

When the three tried to contact Akash over his mobile phone, it was switched off following which they went to Annur village and met Akash, he is said to have told them that he would return their money but later switched off his phone. As the incident had taken place in Hunsur Town Police limits, they lodged a complaint against Akash at Hunsur Town Police Station. Town Police, who have registered a case in this regard, are investigating.

No action from RTO

It is learnt that though the RTO officials had information along with photos of Akash posing as a RTO official and conducting checking of vehicles by wearing uniform on Kerala, Madikeri, Mysuru and Nanjangud Highways about a year back, the RTO officials have not taken any action in this regard, which has become a talk among the public.