Manipal: Six Arrested in Rs 12 Lakh Fraud Using Fake QR Code
Udupi: Manipal police arrested six people in connection with an alleged Rs 12 lakh fraud involving the collection of passenger fares through a fake QR code at the Manipal Institute of Technology (MIT) campus.
The arrested persons have been identified as Siddamurthy G., 29; Shivaraj Naik, 30; Sudeep, 30; Jitesh L. Kanchan, 29; Muthanna Adhinavar, 32; and M.B. Avinash, 24. The complaint also names Aishwarya Muthanna Adhinavar.
The accused were employed by Indeanta E-Mobility Pvt. Ltd., which operates battery-powered vehicles for students and parents within the MIT campus. Since April 1, 2026, they allegedly collected passenger fares using a personal merchant QR code linked to a fraudulent transaction account instead of the company’s official QR code.
According to the complaint filed by the company’s HR manager, the accused allegedly transferred Rs 12 lakh collected through the fake QR code to the bank account of Aishwarya, Muthanna Adhinavar’s wife, and later distributed the money among themselves, cheating the company and breaching its trust.
A case was registered at Manipal Police Station under Crime No. 161/2026, invoking Sections 316(4), 316(5), 318(2), 318(3), 318(4) and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
Investigating Officer and Manipal Police Station PSI Shambhulingayya M. E. arrested the six accused on October 2 and produced them before the court. They were subsequently taken into police custody with the court’s permission for further investigation.