Manipal: Police apprehend accused involved in extorting money posing as cops

Udupi: Manipal police arrested a group of individuals who extorted money from citizens by posing as police personnel.

The incident came to light when Manjunath from Shirva, reported the fraudulent activity to the police.

According to the complaint filed at the Manipal police station, Manjunath was engaged in a conversation with his friends near Arbi Falls in Manipal on May 26 when two persons, identified as Hanumanthappa and Mahadevappa, approached them claiming to be policemen from the Manipal police station. They intimidated Manjunatha, threatening to file a false case against him for loitering in the area.

The fraudsters further made a phone call to another of the accused Laxman K, who impersonated the Sub-Inspector (SI) of Manipal police station. The caller demanded a sum of Rs 5,000 from Manjunath and warned of dire consequences. Manjunath was let off after he transferred the amount via Google Pay to the mobile number provided by the scammers.

However, realizing the suspicious nature of the incident, Manjunath later reported the matter to the Manipal police station.

The Manipal police station registered a case against the accused and initiated an investigation into the matter.