BJP ticket aspirant duped of Rs 21 lakh

NT Correspondent

Bengaluru: With cybercrime cases are rising in the State, a BJP ticket aspirant from Kanakagiri Assembly constituency of Koppal district, alleged that she was cheated by a fraudster who claimed to be a central observer of the saffron party.

Gayatri Thimmareddy Gowda has alleged that she was cheated of Rs 21 lakh by a person who introduced himself as Vishal Nag. She said that he convinced her that he would get her a ticket for the 2023 Assembly election.

Gayatri’s husband Thimmareddy Gowda is a BJP functionary in Kanakagiri and in the run-up to the election, Vishal Nag was introduced to him through a friend identified as Jeetu.

It is alleged that Vishal met the couple at the Ritz Carlton Hotel under Ashoka Nagar Police Station in Bengaluru and introduced himself as a BJP central observer. According to Gayatri Thimmareddy’s complaint, Vishal Nag told her that the list he would give to the BJP high command would be final and assured that Gayatri would be the second person on the list.

Vishal Nag also said his associates would do the work and, if they spend some money on them, the job will be done easily. The fraudster demanded Rs 25 lakh from Thimmareddy and his wife and they gave Rs 21 lakh to him.

The complaint also stated that the fraudster was staying in room number 1132 of the Ritz-Carlton Hotel and used to meet many people every day.

The accused kept Thimmareddy in Delhi for four days, and the hospitality was good. When the BJP list came out, Gayatri’s name was not there. The couple then realised that they had been duped by Vishal Nag, the complaint said.

According to the information, the fraudster had booked the room for about a month and decamped after switching off his mobile phone.

Gayatri Thimmareddy has filed a complaint with the Ashok Nagar police regarding the fraud against three persons including Vishal Nag, Jeetu and a person named Gourav. Meanwhile the Ashok Nagar police have registered a case and are on the lookout for the suspects.