Date:22/04/2006 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2006/04/22/stories/2006042222840300.htm

Karnataka - Bangalore

Former secretary of housing society arrested

Staff Reporter

The accused and his son-in-law have been held on charges of fraud

BANGALORE: The North Division police have arrested a former secretary of a housing cooperative society and his son-in-law who had "fraudulently obtained 26 sites and sold some of them by creating fake documents."

The police have seized from them a car, a multi-utility vehicle, a scooter, gold ornaments and demand drafts, all worth Rs. 30.42 lakh.

On a complaint by Shivalingaiah, president of the Karnataka State Judicial Department Employees' Housing Cooperative Society, and two others, the police arrested the former secretary of the society Suresh Kumar (54) of Nagarabavi Road and his son-in-law K.M. Somesh (28) of Amruthahalli.

According to the police, when Suresh Kumar was secretary of the housing society he had got 26 sites allotted to his son-in-law and other relatives by allegedly forging the documents. Subsequently, the two had sold some of these sites at Judges' Colony to others, the police said.

After the alleged fraud came to light, Suresh Kumar was removed as secretary. Subsequently, Mr. Shivalingaiah and two persons, Karthik P. Kaushik and P.S. Naveen Ithal, who were cheated, lodged complaints with the Yelahanka police.

The accused had purchased the seized vehicles and gold ornaments from the money they had got by the fraudulent deals, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Public Relations) M.B. Appanna said.

Two die in accidents

Two persons were killed in separate road accidents reported from Mysore Road and Magadi Road since Thursday evening.

The police said Raju (40), a lorry driver, was killed in a hit-and-run case on Mysore Road, off Kengeri checkpost, in the early hours of Friday.

Around 1.30 a.m. Raju parked his lorry near the checkpost and was crossing the Mysore Road to have tea at a shop on the other side of the road. A vehicle hit Raju, a native of Kollegal in Chamarajanagar district, and sped away. He was killed on the spot. The Byatarayanapura traffic police have registered a case.

In the other incident, Sudhakara Prabhu (40) was killed when a goods vehicle rammed his two-wheeler on Magadi Road on Thursday evening. Harish Nayak, who was riding pillion with Prabhu, was injured.

Arrested

The Central Crime Branch (CCB) officials have arrested four persons on charges of "highway robbery" and recovered from them goods worth Rs. 5 lakh and seized two country-made pistols, a revolver and two live bullets.