Man arrested for creating fake website of Kollur temple

The Udupi police have arrested a 21-year-old man for allegedly creating a fake website of Kollur Mookambika Temple and cheating people by making devotees to book rooms using that website.

The accused have identified as Nazir Hussain of Rajasthan, the police said.

In the complaint registered by the Kollur Police on November 3, the temple’s executive officer Prashanth Kumar Shetty stated that, as against the original website http://karnatakatemplesaccomodation.com, a fake website ‘Karnataka temple accommodation’ was created. This fake website was being used to reserve six rooms in the temple’s Lalitambika Guest house. The fraudster had sent a PhonePay QR Code, though WhatsApp, by which an advance amount was received. The fraudsters issued a fake receipt for the payment, Mr. Shetty said.

A team comprising Circle Inspectors B. Shivakumar and Santosh A Kaikini, and Police Sub Inspectors Vinay M. Korlahalli and Bheema Shankar Sinnoor went to Khairtal Tijara district and secured Hussain on December 19. The laptop used by him to create the website was seized.

He was produced before the court in Byndoor, which remanded Hussain in judicial custody.

Hussain was booked for offences under Sections 318 (2) and 318(4) of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and Sections 66(C) and 66 (D) of Information Technology Act.

In a statement, Udupi Superintendent of Police Hariram Shankar said Hussain will be inquired into to find out whether he has created similar fake websites of other religious places.