Cheated of Rs 4.5cr, Bengaluru bizman struggles to get FIR filed

BENGALURU: A computer businessman has been cheated of Rs 4.5 crore by a man claiming to have influence with the police, government and BDA officials, and ministers in the state cabinet. What is worse is that the businessman, Mr Arun Kumar, has not been able to get an FIR registered at the Malleswaram police station, though he has been making rounds for the last five months.

Mr Kumar, a resident of Malleswaram, owns Compulease Networks Pvt Ltd. He told Deccan Chronicle that he had been swindled by Satish R. Shet, who claimed to be an upcoming politician in Kumta, near Mangaluru. Arun has paid the money to Satish at different times for a BDA site and a seat at IIM-Bengaluru for his son, Akash.

Arun got suspicious of his Satish’s dealings, collected all the evidence against him and approached the police. But the police reportedly refused to register the FIR and also did not heed to the orders of their superior officers. Mr Kumar said, “I have been struggling to register the FIR for over five months now. I have met everyone, from the DCP to the inspector. The DCP ordered his junior officers to register the FIR, but they have refused to.”

Arun met Satish, who was also in computer business, in 2000. Satish visited Arun’s office regularly and built a good relationship with the employees in the accounts and finance department of the company. He got acquainted with Arun’s business transactions.

“He told me that he had connections with the politicians and in the police department. In 2012, Satish told me that he was a land developer and requested my wife Prathima to become a partner in his business. In August 2014, he proposed to jointly develop a property in Kumara Park East. He told me that he would manage the entire business, while I needed to invest Rs 2.4 crore. After I invested the amount, Satish changed the name on the demand draft, but his fraud was detected.”

He said, “When I started checking and verifying the transactions involving Satish since 2012, I found that all his transactions with my family were bogus and done purely to cheat my family and company. He had already cheated us of Rs 4.5 crore.”

“He also conned us by different fraudulent and bogus sale transactions. He routed the misappropriated funds to his account directly and indirectly. I am filing separate complaints of misappropriation and cheating against him,” Arun said.