Two held for EV sales fraud in Karnataka
Bengaluru (PTI): Two men involved in the sale of electric vehicles in the city have been arrested for allegedly defrauding several people by offering two-wheelers at subsidised rates, claiming the benefit was under a central government scheme, police said on Saturday.
The accused have been identified as Hanumantha Bilkar and Rakesh, they said.
Police said an investigation was initiated after receiving two complaints against at the Peenya and Bagalagunte police stations last month.
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According to police, the accused convinced people to buy electric two-wheelers by claiming that they were available at subsidised rates under a central government scheme.
"However, no such scheme exists. The accused allegedly arranged loans in the names of the buyers and had the loan amounts credited to their companies, as per the complaints," a senior police officer said.
Police said the accused got loans sanctioned for nearly double the price of the vehicles and told buyers they only needed to pay the last three to four EMIs, while the 'companies' would pay the remaining instalments.
Initially, the 'companies' paid the EMIs but later stopped doing so, after which banks and finance firms began demanding payments from the buyers, they said.
The officer said the accused sourced parts of electric two-wheelers from Delhi, assembled them in Bengaluru and sold the vehicles through their showrooms.
He added that loans were taken in the names of several people and the investigation is ongoing.
"While vehicles were delivered to many buyers, the companies allegedly stopped paying the EMIs as promised. An investigation is underway to ascertain how many more people were cheated through this fake scheme," he added.
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Centre spent Rs 76.13 lakh on print media ads for RSS centenary, reveals RTI
New Delhi: The Union Ministry of Culture allegedly spent Rs 76.13 lakh on print advertisements marking the 100-year celebrations of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), according to a Right to Information (RTI) reply.
The information was sought by RTI activist Ajay Basudev Bose, who filed an application seeking details on expenditure incurred by the ministry for advertisements commemorating the RSS centenary.
Bose shared a picture of the reply from the ministry on his official ‘X’ handle.
“It is informed that an amount of Rs 76,13,129 has been spent on advertisement given in various print media by the Ministry of Culture on the occasion of the completion of 100 years of RSS,” the government’s reply stated.
RTI reply shows Min of Culture Govt of India spent a Whopping Rs 76L,13K,129 on Advertisement in Print Media on occasion of 100 yrs of #RSS
— AJAY Basudev Bose (@AjayBos93388306) April 16, 2026
When Everyone knows RSS is Not Registered & Does not Pay any Tax is it justified to spend Tax Payers Money on such Private event??@RSSorg… pic.twitter.com/dW4IUtdNCg
Bose questioned the expenditure in the post X, “when Everyone knows RSS is Not Registered & Does not Pay any Tax is it justified to spend Tax Payers Money on such Private event??”
Reacting to the development, Karnataka’s IT-BT and Panchayat Raj Minister Priyank Kharge also criticised the spending.
In a post on X, he asked why public money was being used for what he described as a “private ideological project.”
"Modi Sarkar spent Rs 76,13,129 of public money on newspaper advertisements to celebrate 100 years of the RSS. Why is Government spending taxpayers money on an unregistered, non-tax-paying organisation to celebrate their centenary?," he added.
Why is public money being used to serve a private ideological project?
— Priyank Kharge / ಪ್ರಿಯಾಂಕ್ ಖರ್ಗೆ (@PriyankKharge) April 16, 2026
Modi Sarkar spent ₹76,13,129 of public money on newspaper advertisements to celebrate 100 years of the RSS.
Why is Government spending taxpayers money on an unregistered, non-tax-paying organisation to… pic.twitter.com/EoZ6Pim3IM
According to reports, the RSS describes itself as a volunteer-based organisation and has stated that it functions as a body of individuals rather than a registered entity.
Founded by Keshav Baliram Hedgewar in 1925, the organisation is marking its centenary year beginning from Vijaydashami in 2025, with the milestone observed on October 2.
