Ballari Police Arrest Key Accused in Rs 16.17 Crore Fraud Involving KIADB Funds
15 April 2026 5:42 PM IST15 April 2026 5:42 PM IST
The fraud allegedly took place between 2022 and 2026 at the KIADB Ballari zonal office.
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Ballari: Ballari police on Wednesday arrested the prime accused in a Rs 16.17 crore financial fraud in the Karnataka Industrial Areas Development Board (KIADB).
The fraud allegedly took place between 2022 and 2026 at the KIADB Ballari zonal office.
Contract workers, permanent staff and even bank personnel allegedly colluded to siphon off funds by forging signatures and transferring money from the Board’s account to unrelated accounts.
According to Ballari SP Suman D Pennekar, based on a complaint, the APMC police registered a case on March 19 under various provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and launched a probe.
On April 15, the main accused, Santosh Kumar HV (33), an outsourced employee at the KIADB office and a resident of Cowl Bazaar in Ballari, was arrested by a team led by the APMC police inspector. It is alleged that even after his dismissal a few months ago, Santosh Kumar misused retained cheques to continue the fraud.
Several individuals, including account holders and bank officials, are suspected to be involved in the conspiracy, which caused heavy financial loss to the Board.
He had been on the run since the case was registered. Police said further investigation is in progress.
The FIR registered on March 19 names six individuals, as well as the manager and staff of a nationalized bank.
( Source : Deccan Chronicle )
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