Retired official ‘cheated of Rs 2 crore after being promised BJP ticket for Karnataka Assembly polls’; probe on

As per the complainant, BJP leader Revannasiddappa, who was his friend, met Shivamurthy at his residence and said that he was close to all leaders of the party and showed him a few photos. Revannasiddappa assured him a BJP ticket in the Hagaribommanahalli constituency which is reserved for Scheduled Caste (SC) candidates. He then took Shivamurthy to Bengaluru and made him meet BJP leader N P Shekar who is a native of Puttur.

According to the complaint, the accused took a total of Rs 2.03 crore from Shivamurthy between October 9, 2022 and April 30, 2023. “When I asked them to give my money back, they gave me death threats,” Shivamurthy said in his complaint.

Shivamurthy’s brother C Anjinappa told The Indian Express that Revannasiddappa and Shekar took his brother to BJP state president Nalin Kumar Kateel. “Kateel told Shivamurthy that Rajashekar would take care of the ticket and directed to discuss the matter with him which gave trust and confidence,” he said.

Asked why there was a delay in filing a complaint despite the money being paid in April, Anjinappa said, “After the issue came to light, there were several rounds of meetings between my brother and the accused. They gave cheques and asked to present it on specific dates. But the cheques bounced and we were forced to file a police complaint later.”

It may be recalled that pro-Hindutva activist Chaitra Kundapura, G M Abhinava Halaveerappajja, the chief pontiff of the Halashri Mutt in Vijayanagara, and several others were arrested last month for cheating Govind Babu Pujari, a businessman of Rs 5 crore after assuring him a BJP ticket to contest from the Byndoor Assembly segment in the 2023 Karnataka Assembly elections.