Daijiworld Media Network - Puttur (SP)

Puttur, Jul 18: The personnel of the town police station here arrested a person, who has been accused of intimidating people to cough up money by claiming himself to be a food inspector, on Friday July 17. The arrested accused happens to be Dayanand, who was earlier working as food inspector, but was suspended in connection with an earlier case.

It is claimed that Dayanand had succeeded in extracting money from a number of people in Punacha village by projecting himself as the food inspector having powers to act against them. After information about him reached the town police, they took Dayanand, who had rented a room in a lodge here, into custody on Friday July 17 evening.

Dayanand, it is said, visited a number of shops dealing in poultry birds, provisions, and others, besides restuarants, seeking to collect money. Some have shelled out even up to Rs 15,000 to appease him, it is gathered.

Dayanand, having worked as a government official in the past, could use his past image to impress the gullible people. He also had issued receipt for money collected. As these receipts had stamp of his department, people believed him to be genuine food inspector.

When Dayanand was arrested from the lodge, a large number of people had come together there. As the incident had occurred at Punacha, the complainants were asked by the policemen to lodge their complaints at Vittal police station.