Bantwal: Kerala Police Arrest Woman GP President on Charges of Fraud
Mounesh Vishwakarma
Daijiworld Media Network – Bantwal (SP)
Bantwal, Aug 25: Premalata, president of Anantanady gram panchayat in the taluk, was arrested by the personnel of Kerala police department on Wednesday August 24 for defrauding a person from Bangalore to the tune of Rs 29 lac, by promising him to procure gold at a rate far lower than the market price.
In arresting her, the policemen of Kannur station were helped by the policemen of Vittal police station here.
Premalata
It is learnt that the arrest was made on a complaint made by Venkatesh Murty from Bangalore, who is the general secretary of JD(S). As per the claim of the complainant, in the past, he had bought gold worth five lac rupees through Premalata. Using this transaction, she allegedly promised Murty to get him gold worth Rs 29 lac through one of her acquaintances at a reasonable rate. Murty says he had paid her full amount in advance. Once the amount was received, Premalata reportedly acted smart and took him for a ride. Venkatesh Murty had filed complaints about this incident with police stations located in Bangalore and Kannur.
Once Premalata got wind of the fact that policemen were trying to nab her, she changed her tactics and complained to the superintendent of police (SP) of Dakshina Kannada district that people having connections with the underworld had been shadowing her, and sought protection. The SP directed her to approach Vittal police. Growing suspicious of her intention, sub-inspector of Vittal station, Rakshit A K and his staff, gathered information about her through police sources. Accordingly, she was taken into custody in the presence of Kannur policemen, and handed over to the team which had come to escort her there.
Premalata (45) had won membership of the gram panchayat as a Congress-supported candidate, but changed over to BJP, sensing the opportunity to become president, as six BJP and seven Congress-supported candidates had become victorious. She won as a member of Anantady gram panchayat in the last election. She is the daughter of Narayana Saphalya Neralakatte.