Hindutva activist Chaitra Kundapura arrested for allegedly cheating Bengaluru businessman after promising BJP ticket for Byndoor

She, along with seven others, had allegedly taken ₹5 crore from BJP ticket aspirant Govinda Babu Poojary, a native of Byndoor in Udupi district who runs Cheftalk Nutri Foods Private Limited, among other hospitality and catering businesses in Bengaluru.

Bengaluru Central Crime Branch police arrested right-wing activist Chaitra Kundapura on September 12, on the charge of cheating a businessperson after promising to get him the BJP ticket for Byndoor Assembly constituency.

The Hindutva activist, along with seven others, had allegedly taken ₹5 crore from BJP ticket aspirant Govinda Babu Poojary, a native of Byndoor in Udupi district who runs Cheftalk Nutri Foods Private Limited, among other hospitality and catering businesses in Bengaluru.

Chaitra was arrested on September 12 near Udupi Krishna mutt. Six other suspects too were arrested by the CCB, said Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime), Bengaluru, Abdul Ahad.

In his complaint to Bandepalya Police in Bengaluru on September 8, Mr. Poojari claimed to doing social service in Byndoor constituency through Varalakshmi Charitable Trust for the last seven years. He was introduced to Chaitra Kundapura, who claimed to be a Hindutva volunteer, by BJP worker Prasad Byndoor (accused number 8) in 2022.

Chaitra Kundapura coaxed him to contest the 2023 Assembly elections from Byndoor on a BJP ticket and promised to not only get him the ticket but also get him elected. She claimed to have high-level contacts at Delhi-level, and put him in touch with BJP Yuva Morcha General Secretary Gagan Kadur (accused number 2) of Chikkamagaluru. They met Gagan Kadur in Chikkamagaluru on July 4, 2022. Gagan Kadur introduced them to ‘Vishwanathji’, claiming he had been an RSS pracharak (worker) in north India for 45 years.

Payments made

Mr. Poojari paid ₹50 lakh as advance to ‘Vishwanathji’ through Prasad Byndoor on July 7, 2022.