The Govindaraja Nagar police on Thursday arrested the editor of a city-based Kannada tabloid for allegedly cheating a woman by promising to get her a posting in the “State press council”.
Based on the complaint filed by Meenakshi B., the police tracked down the accused, identified as Shivakumar T. Nagara Navile from Bengaluru’s Kempegowda International Airport, minutes before he tried to board a flight to Oman for a programme.
According to the complaint, the accused, claiming to be president of the “State press council,” offered her the role of “State president for women journalist council” and took over ₹50,000 to get her to Singapore for Vishishta Kannada Habba programmes for 2024.
The accused later started asking for financial help to organise the programme, and the victim allegedly paid a total of ₹25 lakh on different dates by borrowing the money from her relatives and friends and even pawned her gold.
The cheating came to light when the victim tried to reach Shivakumar after the programme, and he allegedly started threatening her with dire consequences when she started demanding money .
The victim further alleged that Shivakumar had allegedly cheated many people using similar tactics and demanded an investigation into the same. The police have seized Shivakumar’s phone and taken him into custody.
Published – November 30, 2025 12:30 am IST
