Udupi: In a dramatic operation on Tuesday night, the Bengaluru Central Crime Branch (CCB) police apprehended Hindutva activist Chaitra Kundapura and her associate Shrikanth Nayak in the parking lot of Sri Krishna Mutt. They stand accused of defrauding an industrialist, Govinda Babu Pujari from Byndoor, of Rs. 7 crores.

Chaitra Kundapura, known for delivering incendiary speeches against Islam and Muslims, is believed to be the primary suspect in this fraud case. She, along with four or five associates, purportedly boasted of their influential ties to the BJP high command and the RSS.

Chaitra and her associates allegedly convinced Govinda Babu Pujari, promising him a BJP ticket for the Byndoor constituency in the last assembly election. However, despite collecting the sum, Govinda Babu did not receive the promised ticket. When he demanded the return of his money, Chaitra and her associates did not comply.

Furthermore, they are accused of creating counterfeit identity documents, posing as notable RSS figures. Under false pretenses, they gained Govinda Babu Pujari's trust, eventually collecting Rs. 7 crores in three installments.

In response, Govinda Babu filed a case against eight individuals at the Bengaluru Bandepaliya Police Station. Chaitra Kundapura went into hiding as soon as the police commenced their investigation and arrests. Law enforcement initiated a manhunt, culminating in her capture on Tuesday night at the parking lot of the Udupi Krishna Mutt.

Earlier, the police had detained two other accomplices of Chaitra, identified as Gagan Kadur and Prasad. With the arrest of Chaitra and her associate Srikant Nayak, the total number of those apprehended in this case has risen to four.

Chaitra and Srikant were transported to Bengaluru by the CCB police unit and will be presented in court later this evening.