Bengaluru: Man misuses Dr. Sudha Murthy’s name for exacting revenge; arrested

Team Udayavani, Oct 17, 2023, 9:13 AM IST

Bengaluru: The Jayanagar Police have apprehended a person for allegedly misusing the name of Dr. Sudha Murthy, the chairperson of Infosys Foundation.

The accused has been identified as Arun Sudarshan (40) of Rajajinagar.

The arrests were made following an investigation into the complaint filed by Mamata Sanjay, Dr. Sudha Murthy’s executive assistant,  against two individuals ‘Lavanya’ and Shruti.

According to police, the accused’s actions stemmed from a long-standing animosity towards the family of Shruti.

Arun, a Bengaluru-based event manager and close childhood friend of Shruti’s husband, who currently resides in the United States, had grown estranged from the family over the years. The couple had severed ties with Arun for a decade due to personal reasons.

Shruti desired to organize a ‘Meet and Greet with Dr. Sudha Murthy’ event on September 26, to be hosted by the Kannada Koota of North California (KKNC), USA. Shruti contacted Arun based in Bengaluru, seeking assistance in securing Dr. Sudha Murthy as the chief guest.

Arun, seizing this opportunity, fabricated a connection with Sudha Murthy’s personal assistant, ‘Lavanya,’ and falsely conveyed Sudha Murthy’s willingness to attend the event. He subsequently received a sum of Rs 5 lakh for the expenses involved. Interestingly, Dr. Sudha Murthy does not employ a personal assistant by the name of ‘Lavanya.’

Taking the accused’s word at face value, Shruti diligently prepared for the event, promoting it extensively on social media platforms. Tickets for the program were priced at $40 each.

The ruse was unravelled when Mamata Sanjay, Dr. Sudhamurthy’s executive assistant, chanced upon the event details on social media.  When contacted, event organisers told Mamata about the communication with ‘Lavanya’.

A complaint was filed against Shruti and Lavanya for purportedly collecting funds under false pretenses.

Police said Arun Sudrashan has noe been arrested in the case.