Bengaluru CCB police arrested Chaitra Kundapura, a Hindutva activist who was formerly associated with the Akhila Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), with three others on Tuesday night, September 12, for defrauding a businessman. Govind Babu Pujari had filed a complaint with the Bandepalya police that Chaitra and others had defrauded him of Rs 5 crore under the pretext of securing him a BJP ticket to contest the recently held Karnataka Assembly elections.
Chaitra Kundapura, a former TV anchor is known for her provocative anti-Muslim speeches and has been a speaker at many Bajrang Dal and Vishwa Hindu Parishad events. An FIR was filed against her by Surathkal police in October 2021 for making a hate speech at a programme organised by Bajrang Dal and Durga Vahini. She had said Hindu groups could convert Muslims and make them wear kumkum (vermilion). Chaitra calls herself a proud ‘ABVPien’ in her social media bios.
In his complaint, Govind alleged that Chaitra and seven others orchestrated an elaborate scam, promising him the coveted MLA ticket from Byndoor in Udupi district for the May 2023 Assembly elections.
According to the First Information Report (FIR), the financial transaction unfolded from July of the previous year and continued until March 2023. The complainant grew suspicious when the alleged culprits claimed the funds were in possession of an RSS leader named Vishwanath, who, as it turns out, never existed. When Govind Babu pressed for his money's return, Chaitra and her associate Gagan Kadur went off the grid, compelling him to seek police intervention.
Govind Babu further stated that Chaitra and Gagan went to great lengths, hiring a person named Ramesh to impersonate a fictitious RSS leader, Vishwanath. The complainant also added that he handed over Rs 1.5 crore to a seer named Abhinava Halasri, purportedly at the behest of the non-existent Vishwanath, and an additional payment of Rs 3.5 crore to the accused.
The FIR also stated that the accused convinced the complainant of their close connections with influential BJP figures. Govind Babu was coerced into making substantial payments, culminating in a financial loss of Rs 5 crore.