‘Accused targeted elderly persons by faking accidents’

Mysore/Mysuru: The Kuvempunagar Police have successfully solved a case in which a senior citizen driving a four-wheeler was targeted by a criminal who falsely accused him of causing an accident and then extorted money. One person has been arrested in connection with the incident.

The arrested individual is 32-year-old Jameel Khan, alias Jameel, a resident of Kesare Sixth Cross. The Police have recovered Rs. 40,000 extorted from the elderly citizen, who is a retired Assistant Sub-Inspector of Police (ASI). Additionally, a scooter and a mobile phone used in the crime have been seized.

City Police Commissioner Ramesh Banoth informed reporters that the incident occurred on Sept. 2 at 10.30 am. The victim 70-year-old B.A. Devaiah is a resident of Kuvempunagar ‘M’ Block and is an Ex-Serviceman who served as an ASI before retiring from the Karnataka State Reserve Police (KSRP) in 2013.

Incident at Kuvempunagar

On that day, Devaiah was driving his Santro car (KA-09-MA-4244) on Udayaravi Road in Kuvempunagar when he heard a sound. Accused Jameel, intentionally created the sound and started following Devaiah’s car on his scooter. After a distance, Jameel stopped the car and falsely claimed that Devaiah had hit a bike, resulting in severe leg injuries to his friend, who needed treatment and demanded Rs. 40,000 from Devaiah.

“The accused even threatened Devaiah with gathering a crowd and assaulting him if the money was not paid. Since the victim did not have that much cash on him, Jameel convinced him to withdraw the cash from an ATM. After a few unsuccessful attempts due to a malfunctioning card, Jameel managed to obtain Rs. 40,000 from Devaiah,” explained the City Police Commissioner.

On the same evening, Devaiah reported the incident at Kuvempunagar Police Station, providing a detailed account and informing them about the ATM’s CCTV camera capturing the photo of the perpetrator.

Past criminal record

“A case was registered, and during the investigation, our teams discovered that several other senior citizens had been targeted using a similar modus operandi. However, except for Devaiah, no one had lodged a written complaint,” City Top Cop B. Ramesh elaborated.

Jameel was arrested on Sept. 12 at 1 pm based on mobile tower location data and information from informants. The Police were conducting rounds in Kuvempunagar at the time of the arrest. “Investigation has revealed that Jameel has a criminal record, with five cases of extortion already filed against him. He confessed to targeting two more elderly citizens using a similar approach,” added the Commissioner.

The Police suspect the involvement of an accomplice in the crime and are making efforts to apprehend him.

Under the guidance of DCP (Crime and Traffic) S. Janhavi and Krishnaraja ACP S.E. Gangadharaswamy, the investigative team was led by Kuvempunagar Inspector L. Arun.

Sub-Inspectors S.P. Gopal and M. Radha,  along with crime section staff V. Anand, M.P. Manjunath, Hazarath, N.K. Puttappa, Suresh, Nagesh, Amogh and technical staff Kumar, were all part of the nabbing team.

During the media briefing yesterday, the Police Commissioner also spoke about the recovery of Rs. 9.2 lakh that was stolen from a fish stall owned by one Amjad in Mandi Mohalla Police limits on Aug. 27. Farooq, 33-year-old, who used to work in the same shop and another employee have been arrested.

Inform the Police to prevent such incidents   

We have received reports of vulnerable individuals paying sums ranging from Rs. 5,000 to Rs. 10,000 to criminals who falsely claim injury in accidents. We urge the public in Mysuru to remain vigilant and not give in to such fraudulent claims. When confronted by such individuals, please confidently request them to accompany you to the nearest Police Station for a resolution, assuring them that any payments will be made there. Alternatively, you can promptly dial the emergency response number 112 or inform the nearest Police Station. Reporting even minor extortion incidents to the Police can play a crucial role in preventing such crimes. —Ramesh Banoth, Police Commissioner, Mysuru City