Ullal police arrest AP man for allegedly blackmailing Someshwara Municipality Revenue officer, staff
Mangaluru: The Ullal police have arrested the accused who allegedly blackmailed and threatened the revenue officer and staff of Someshwara Municipality by calling them on the phone under the guise of Lokayukta.
The accused, identified as Dhananjaya Reddy Tota (31) from Nallagutlapalli village in Andhra Pradesh, allegedly contacted the Someshwara Municipality Revenue Officer, Purushottam, via a WhatsApp call in April 2024. Posing as a Lokayukta official, he claimed there was an allegation against Purushottam and demanded money to "resolve" the issue. He threatened to cause trouble if the money was not paid.
When Purushottam verified the caller’s identity through Truecaller, the name "D. Prabhakara, Lokayukta PI" appeared. However, upon contacting Karnataka Lokayukta officials in Mangaluru, he discovered that no such officer existed.
In a similar incident, senior health inspector Alli Nair Krishna also received threatening calls from the accused, demanding money.
Investigations revealed that Dhananjaya Reddy Tota had a history of committing similar crimes in 2019, with cases registered against him at Gauribidanur Police Station in Chikkaballapur district and Shabad Police Station in Hyderabad.
A complaint was lodged, and the Ullal police, led by PSI Santosh Kumar and supported by Crime Investigation Department personnel Ranjit Kumar, Anand Badgi, and Manjunath, successfully tracked and arrested the accused.
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Block on Mumbai-Pune Expressway on April 23, 24
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Mumbai (PTI): The traffic on Mumbai-Pune Yashwantrao Chavan Expressway will be temporarily diverted for a few hours on April 23 and 24 on account of bridge maintenance work.
In a release issued on Tuesday, the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) said the block is planned from 12 am to 3 pm on April 23 and 24, for removal of shuttering and painting work on a bridge located near Dongargaon-Kusgaon.
Traffic towards Mumbai will remain completely closed in the section on April 23 during the three hours long block. Vehicles will be diverted via the Kiwale-Dehu Road-Talegaon route onto National Highway 48 and rejoin at Kusgaon toll plaza.
Similarly, traffic towards Pune will be shut on April 24 from 12 pm to 3 pm, and vehicles will be diverted from Kusgaon toll plaza via National Highway 48 through the Dehu Road-Kiwale route.
In case of any difficulty, commuters can contact the MSRDC control room on 9822498224 or the highway police helpline at 9833498334, the release said.
Mumbai-Pune Expressway is the first access controlled Expressway of India.
