The Central Crime Branch (CCB) of Bengaluru has dismantled a sophisticated fake CSR funds racket, arresting five individuals involved in the scam. The police seized Rs23.4 lakh in cash and counterfeit currency worth Rs30.9 crore from the accused.
The arrested individuals include Kishor, Chandrashekar, and Rishi from Agrahara Dasarahalli, Sudhir from Basavanagudi, and Vinay from Vijayanagar. According to the police, the gang targeted various NGOs, charitable trusts, and businesses, offering them fake CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) funds from major corporate houses in exchange for a 40% commission.
Kishor, the key figure in the scam, identified potential victims, while Sudhir and Chandrashekar posed as corporate representatives to approach their targets. They lured NGOs and trusts by claiming they could secure donations from well-known companies. If an organization showed interest, Rishi and Vinay would show the victims fake currency in video calls, giving the false impression that they had access to real CSR funds.
Once the trust of the victim was gained, the accused demanded a 40% commission upfront. If the target paid, the gang would disappear, leaving the victim with nothing but fake promises of CSR donations.
“This is a new way of cheating, which we had vague information about,” said Bengaluru Police Commissioner B. Dayananda. He explained that the fraudsters convinced trusts that if they provided upfront cash, they would receive much larger donations from corporate entities. Many NGOs and trusts operating around Bengaluru were taken in by the scam.
The gang’s operations were exposed after they approached a businessman offering ₹1 crore in CSR funds and demanding a Rs25 lakh commission. Suspicious of the deal, the businessman noticed the boxes containing fake currency and alerted the police. The CCB Women Protection Wing quickly laid a trap, leading to the gang’s arrest.