Man Posing as Bhatkal Tanzeem Representative Defrauds Shirur Women of Lakhs

Bhatkal: An unidentified individual, falsely claiming to represent the Majlis-e-Islah wa Tanzeem in Bhatkal, has allegedly defrauded a group of women from the nearby town of Shirur of over four lakh rupees by promising them substantial interest-free loans.

According to the victims, the incident began nine months ago when the man approached a woman in the Hadavin Kone area of Shirur. He introduced himself as an agent of the Bhatkal Tanzeem and claimed the organization was distributing interest-free loans of up to five lakh rupees to help the underprivileged. To qualify, he explained, applicants only needed to pay a registration fee of twelve thousand rupees.

The man encouraged the initial contact to spread the word among her relatives and acquaintances. Trusting the offer, a growing number of women decided to register. In total, 22 women from Shirur paid the fee, collectively handing over ₹4,07,000 to the individual.

As time passed and no loans were disbursed, the women realized they had been deceived. When they contacted the man and demanded their money back, he reportedly issued them bogus checks before disappearing. He has since become unreachable, and his phone is switched off.

The victims, who describe themselves as coming from very poor backgrounds, expressed their distress to the SahilOnline office in Bhatkal. They explained that they had even traveled to Bhatkal in an attempt to locate the perpetrator but were unsuccessful.

Feeling they had no other option, the women have now filed a formal complaint at the Byndoor Police Station. They are urging law enforcement to apprehend the fraudulent individual and help them recover their hard-earned money.

Authorities suspect that this individual may have operated a similar scheme in other areas, potentially trapping more unsuspecting people with the same false promises.