In a major breakthrough against cybercrime, the Mangaluru City Central Crime Police arrested 29-year-old Ravichandra Manjunath Revannakar from Banavasi in Uttara Kannada district. He is accused of defrauding a car buyer of Rs2.5 lakh through a fake car listing on the popular online marketplace OLX.
Ravichandra allegedly posed as a car seller, convincing the victim to transfer money before disappearing without delivering the vehicle.
The case is registered under Crime No. 28/2025 at Mangaluru’s Central Crime Station. Police have filed charges under Sections 66(C) and 66(D) of the Information Technology Act and Sections 318(4), 3(5), and 112 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
Following a complaint, investigators traced Ravichandra to Hosapete, Vijayanagara district, where a special investigation team arrested him. He was brought to Mangaluru for interrogation.
During questioning, police uncovered a sophisticated online fraud network operated by Ravichandra for over three years. He allegedly managed 21 bank accounts and used at least 8 SIM cards to carry out scams. Authorities linked over 80 cyber fraud complaints to his mobile numbers.
Ravichandra’s method involved briefly using each mobile number to trick victims, then discarding the devices and SIM cards before repeating the scam under new identities. This tactic helped him evade detection while defrauding unsuspecting buyers.
Ravichandra was produced before the Mangaluru court on June 29. Police suspect more victims and potential accomplices and continue the investigation.
