A bank manager in Bangalore was duped by a conman posing as the state's chief secretary, by calling him over the phone and asking him to sponsor a badminton tournament. According to the reports, the bank manager working for a nationalised bank was duped with the name of Karnataka chief secretary TM Vijaya Bhaskar asking for sponsorship for Rs 28,000 for 'Victor Denmark Para-Badminton Tournament'.
A man named Ramamurthy had visited the Bank of India (BOI) in Kempe Gowda Road near Majestic on January 14 carrying a fake letter with the chief secretary's official credentials on it. The man met the zonal manager of BOI with the letter seeking sponsorship for Rs 28,000.
Convinced by the provided letter which read, 'Secretary General, Badminton Sports Association of India For Challenged' and documents the bank manager gave the sponsorship for the said amount but only realised that he was conned after he called the chief secretary's office to confirm that the sponsorship was made by the bank.
After getting to know that the bank manager was defrauded by a swindler in high-intensity deceit using the name of the chief secretary, Vijay Bhaskar filed a complaint at the Upparpet police station.
Bhaskar stated in his complaint that around 9 am, manager Eshwarappa received a call from one man claiming to be the chief secretary. The impostor directed Eshwarappa to pay Rs 28,000, reports Deccan Herald.
On receiving the complaint the police have lodged a First Information Report (FIR) against a person named Jayadevan alias Ramamurthy for conducting the fraudulent act along with his associate who had called the bank manager while posing as the chief secretary Vijay Bhaskar.
The police have charged the accused with forgery and cheating and are still trying to track down the criminals.
