Popular Telugu TV anchor Kathi Karthika booked in Rs 1 crore cheating case

Popular Telugu TV anchor Kathi Karthika, who is also the granddaughter of Telangana Assembly deputy speaker and former minister with the TRS cabinet T Padma Rao, has been booked in an alleged cheating case. A case has been registered against Karthika and a few others at the Banjara Hills police station for allegedly cheating a builder of Rs 1 crore. The anchor is being accused of collecting the money on the pretext of obtaining construction permits and No Objection Certificates (NoCs) for the builder.

The police complaint comes in the wake of Karthika contesting the Dubbaka bye-polls as an independent candidate. She rose to fame in the Telugu entertainment circles after her debut as a Bigg Boss contestant.

The Banjara Hills police say the complaint was made by Dora Swamy, managing director of Touchstone Property Developers, based at Film Nagar. According to the complainant, he deposited Rs 1 crore in a firm owned by Karthika and her associates named Karthika BRM Group. The complainant was put in touch with Karthika by Sridhar Gopishetty, the managing director of Team One India Private Limited on the pretext of resolving a land dispute involving 52 acres at Ameenpur of Medak district. 

Dora Swamy, according to reports, had plans to develop the 52 acres into a housing project as part of business expansion. The builder has alleged that Rs 1 crore was taken from him with the promise of obtaining NoCs and permits using Karthika’s contacts with the Telangana government. 

The Banjara Hills police have registered cases under Sections 406 (criminal breach of trust), Section 420 (cheating), Section 120 (b) (criminal conspiracy) under the Indian Penal Code against Karthika, Sridhar Gopishetty, Nyvvala Siva Ram Prasad, Thannery Bhimsen Rao, Lala Jagruth Lal, Andre Murali Krishna, Lala Mohan Santosh Lal and others.