Alleged BJP ticket scam: Fraud complaint filed in Kotturu

Team Udayavani, Oct 22, 2023, 6:10 PM IST

C. Shivamurthy (L) and Benakanahalli Revanasiddappa

Kotturu (Vijayanagara): A case has been registered in Kotturu police station following a complaint by an individual that he was defrauded more than Rs 2 crores by purportedly promising a BJP ticket for the Hagaribommanahalli Assembly constituency in the 2023 Karnataka assembly elections.

The complainant C. Shivamurthy, identified himself to be a retired PWD assistant engineer and a prominent BJP leader. He alleged that Benakanahalli Revanasiddappa, and NP Shekhar of Puttur had fleeced money from him and issued death threats for asking to return the money back.

Shivamurthy detailed in his complaint that he came into contact with Revanasiddappa in 2022, asserting that several senior BJP leaders in the state were in communication with him. It was on this premise that he believed the promise of securing a party ticket.

On October 10, 2022, Revanasiddappa and NP Shekhar allegedly visited Shivamurthy’s residence, where they obtained Rs 30 lakh in cash. Subsequently, on October 15, 2022, Shekhar instructed Shivamurthy to deliver Rs 20 lakh to Arjun B Shetty, a car driver associated with Revanasiddappa. In addition, Shekhar provided a Bank of Baroda cheque as security for the promised Rs 50 lakhs.

According to Shivamurthy, between November 20, 2022, and February 22, 2023, he made multiple transactions, totaling Rs 37 lakh 78 thousand, into Arjun B Shetty’s bank account, and also deposited Rs 16 lakh 75 thousand from another account.

As no BJP ticket was issued to him, Shivamurthy sought a refund of the Rs 2.3 crores paid to the accused duo. Allegedly, the accused issued death threats if the matter was pursued any further.

C. Shivamurthy said he had reported the incident to the Kotturu sub-inspector on October 19, along with receipts of bank transactions and other pertinent documents as evidence.

In response, Revanasiddappa has countered the allegations, labeling Shivamurthy’s actions as defamation. A defamation case has been filed against Shivamurthy in this regard, he added.