Bengaluru priest held for posing as Infosys Foundation head Sudha Murty’s staff, collecting money

Initially, two women were accused of posing as Murty’s staff and illegally profiting by using her name. However, a probe showed Kumar was the mastermind behind both scams.

In the first case, Kumar duped a group by assuring them he could arrange Murty’s presence at an event in the US and collected Rs 5 lakh in cash. The group had requested Murty’s attendance at the Kannada Koota of Northern California (KKNC)’s 50th-anniversary event, but she had declined via email in April. Despite her refusal, a woman claiming to be her personal assistant affirmed her participation.

The second case involved a different woman who falsely advertised a ‘Meet & Greet with Dr Sudha Murty’ event on social media of the non-profit organisation Sewa International at Milpitas, US, on September 26. Tickets, priced at $40 each, were sold under the pretence that Murty would be the chief guest.

Kumar, a relative of the woman’s husband, admitted to posing as the woman while talking to event organisers and fraudulently collecting Rs 5 lakh as an advance payment, said a police officer.

Before this, the Jayanagar police had booked the two women, identified as Lavanya and Shruthi, based on a complaint lodged by Murty’s executive assistant Mamata Sanjay.

A police officer said, “Kumar who was arrested was the sole man behind the entire scheme and he did it to take avenge against his paternal cousin brother who is in the US.  His cousin brother left shifted to USA 10 years ago but never bothered to talk with Kumar. After Sudha Murty rejected the invitation, his cousin brother after 10 long years, he approached Kumar seeking help to reach Sudha Murty which enraged him. Claiming that he knew Sudha Murty well, he cheated.”