Karnataka: Mangaluru man arrested for posing as Lokayukta official in extortion scam

A 31-year-old man from Mangaluru, Dhananjaya Reddy Thota, was arrested for posing as a Lokayukta officer and attempting to extort money via WhatsApp. After Purushottam, a panchayat officer, reported the scam, police traced the call to Andhra Pradesh and arrested Thota.

A 31-year-old man from Mangaluru, Karnataka, was arrested for impersonating a Lokayukta officer and attempting to extort money through WhatsApp. According to a PTI report, Dhananjaya Reddy Thota allegedly posed as a Lokayukta official and contacted Purushottam, a panchayat officer, demanding money to "settle" a fictitious corruption case.

Doubting the caller's legitimacy, Purushottam alerted the authorities, leading to an investigation. Tracing the call eventually led police to Andhra Pradesh, where Thota was arrested on Saturday. Preliminary investigations revealed that Thota had no connection to the Lokayukta and had been using the scam to manipulate officials by creating fear of legal consequences. The Ullal police are now looking into whether Thota was involved in similar fraudulent activities in other regions.

Thota has been taken into police custody, and investigations are continuing.

A 45-year-old real estate agent in Bengaluru was recently arrested for pretending to be a relative of the Upa Lokayukta and pressuring a deputy Tahsildar to expedite property registration work. The suspect, Anand Kumar, was apprehended by Anekal police after the deputy registrar of Lokayukta filed a complaint. He is now facing charges of impersonation, cheating, and using criminal force to prevent public servants from carrying out their duties.