A man from Maruthi Nagar in Bengaluru’s Chandra Layout, identified as R Srinivas, was arrested by the Talaghattapura police on Tuesday for posing as a probationary IPS officer and cheating people of their money. Srinivas, who had the desire to become a police officer after watching south Indian movies with plots revolving around the police force, got a uniform stitched and created a fake ID card to gain the public's trust. He would tell people that he was on probation and would soon receive a service revolver. Srinivas was even felicitated by some people, according to the Times of India.

The police began investigating Srinivas based on a complaint filed by one of his victims, Venkatnarayan, who was cheated out of nearly Rs 1.8 crore on March 6. Srinivas had convinced Venkatnarayan to invest in a land deal worth Rs 450 crore in Mysuru and asked for Rs 2.5 crore to facilitate the transaction. Venkatnarayan trusted Srinivas and gave him Rs 49 lakh, which he received back in December 2022. Venkatnarayan then gave Srinivas Rs 1.2 crore from a hotel owner in Jayanagar and Rs 56 lakh from some other friends. Srinivas took the money and disappeared.

During the investigation, the police found that Srinivas had cheated many people in a similar manner. The police arrested him and recovered three vehicles, including a BMW, worth about Rs 23 lakh. Srinivas had spent all the money on his luxurious lifestyle, according to the police. He would party in plush hotels and constantly change his house to hide from his victims.