Self-styled MLC gives cops the slip in Bengaluru

BENGALURU: L Somanna, the man who was arrested in connection with several cheating cases by the Basaveshwaranagar police, gave the police the slip and escaped from their custody in Chitradurga where he was taken for property recovery.

Somanna, who was cheating people by claiming that he was an MLC and was contesting from Molakalmara constituency in the upcoming assembly election, had cheated Dheeraj D N, a jewellery shop owner, after taking gold jewellery worth `94 lakh claiming that he had organised mass marriages in Mysuru district and was donating the gold to 51 couples. Based on the complaint by the jeweller, Somanna was arrested.

“On Thursday afternoon, he was taken to Mahalakshmi Jewellers as part of the probe. Meanwhile, he requested the policemen that he had to go to toilet and the police left him. As he did not return even after 10 minutes, the police team searched for him frantically only to realise that he had escaped. He was hand-cuffed when he escaped and we have filed a complaint with the local police about the incident. He will be nabbed soon,” the police said.