Former minister Varthur Prakash was questioned by the police on Tuesday morning in connection with a significant jewellery fraud case. The investigation stems from allegations involving Swetha Gowda, a woman accused of defrauding a jewellery shop owner of gold ornaments worth Rs 2.42 crore.
According to the jeweller, Swetha Gowda had been purchasing gold items from his shop for several months, initially paying for the goods. However, since August 26, she neither paid for nor returned a substantial amount of gold — approximately 2.9 kg of ornaments. She had previously claimed that she was in the gold business and would sell the items she bought. During one delivery, the jeweller even visited Varthur Prakash’s house, but the former minister was absent at the time.
The jeweller lodged a complaint, which led to the arrest of Swetha Gowda by the Commercial Street police. Following her arrest, the police discovered Prakash’s name linked to the case, as Swetha had presented herself as his close associate. The authorities then issued notices to Prakash, and he responded to the third notice by appearing before the police for questioning.
During the three-hour questioning session, Prakash stated that he had met Swetha Gowda a few times, but only in her capacity as a social worker. He denied any involvement in her gold business or the fraudulent activities. After recording his statement, Prakash was released by the police, who have not indicated whether any charges will be filed against him at this stage.
The investigation is ongoing, and the police are focusing on tracing the gold ornaments involved in the scam.
