Army man-turned-Bajrang Dal leader held for blackmail along with associates

May 28, 2016

Mangaluru, May 28: An army-man-turned Bajrang Dal leader has been arrested along with his four associates by the police on the charges of extortion and blackmail in Moodbidri on the outskirts of the city.

Santosh Poojary, a local Bajrang Dal leader, caught red-handed when he was blackmailing a resident of Puthige in Moodbidri on Saturday.

After quitting Indian army under the pretext of ill-health, Santosh had returned to his hometown to engage in real estate business. He joined Bajrang Dal and soon became one of its leaders.

According to police, Santosh had been blackmailing one Raghavendra Bhat on some issue and demanding Rs 2 lakh for some days. Mr Bhat, without the blackmailer's knowledge had informed this to police.

On Saturday, Santosh visited Mr Bhat's residence in Puthige to extort Rs 2 lakh. A team of police from Moodbidri, which was already present there, caught him red-handed.

The police also managed to arrest four of his associates from Moodbidri, Bantwal, Addyar and Kapikkad in Mangaluru at Moodbidri bus stand.

Santosh is the second senior Bajrang Dal leader arrested by the police in Moodbidri this week. Last Wednesday, another Bajrang Dal leader, Sumit Raj, was arrested in connection with an alleged murder conspiracy.

Also Read : Cops avert murder and communal riot by arresting Bajrang Dal leader, associates

Comments

They are giving training , gov need to take action
bec are intention is this kill someone and loot them ,
need to give proper treatment to him

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‘Profit’ trap: Mangaluru trader duped of ₹33.1 lakh in online App scam

News Network

December 7,2025

Mangaluru, Dec 7: A 34-year-old fruit and vegetable trader in Mangaluru has reportedly lost ₹33.1 lakh after falling victim to an online investment scam run through a fake mobile app.

Police said the scam began in September, when the victim received a link on Facebook. Clicking it connected him to a WhatsApp number, where an unidentified person introduced a high-return investment scheme and instructed him to download an app.

To build trust, the fraudster asked him to invest ₹30,000 on September 24. The trader soon received ₹34,000 as “profit,” convincing him the scheme was genuine. Over the next two months, he transferred money in multiple instalments via Google Pay and IMPS to different scanner codes and bank accounts shared by the scammers. Between September 24 and December 3, he ended up sending a total of ₹33.1 lakh.

When he later requested a refund of his investment and promised returns, the scammers demanded additional payments, claiming he needed to pay a “service tax” first. Even after he paid a small amount, no money was returned, and the scammers continued pressuring him for more.

A case has been registered at the CEN Crime Police Station.

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