The Karnataka Police recently arrested a man who impersonated his dead brother to work as a government school teacher for 24 years. The incident was reported in Periyapatna of Mysuru district, 197 km from Bengaluru.
The accused, identified as Lakshmanegowda, is presently in judicial custody. According to police sources, his brother Lokesh Gowda had received an appointment letter as a government school teacher but died before he could report to work. Lakshmanegowda then collected all the documents and went to the Education department and said he is Lokesh. He started working at a government lower primary school in Muddanagalli village in Periyapatna in 1998. Then, later, he continued to work in several other schools and also got a promotion.
After serving for 24 years, the issue came to light when he was working at a government higher primary school in Kattemalavadi. It was revealed when a fight broke out within the family and subsequently, a local journalist filed a complaint before the Education department and also to the Lokayukta in January 2019. The department went through the family tree of Lakshmanegowda and the fake marks card which he had submitted while joining.
On March 21, a complaint was filed before Periyapatna police station by the Education department and based on the complaint, he was arrested. Sources in the Local Block Education Office said based on the Lokayukta order, an inquiry was initiated and it was found that Lakshmanegowda was the culprit. Although the complaint was also filed before the Education department, initially no action was initiated, said sources.
