The arrest of Vijay Raj Gowda by the Bengaluru North CEN (Cyber, Economic Offences, and Narcotics) police has unmasked one of the most sophisticated and relentless serial fraudsters in recent Karnataka history. From a bizarre instance where a man asked his own wife to be his 'elder sister' and hence, a fictitious marriage proposal has been put forward to the techie, the affair has now grown into a multi-crore affair involving fake government tenders, false legal documents and much more.
The Matrimony Trap and the "Sister" Deception
Vijay’s modus operandi mainly centred on popular matrimonial apps. He’d build up high-profile profiles targeting professional women, specifically female techies and entrepreneurs. And in a recent case that stunned investigators, Vijay introduced his wife to an upcoming groom as his sister; Vijay used her as a foil to corroborate where he was from and gain goodwill, then skimmed the money.
The Fake “ED Case” & ₹50 Lakh Extortion
One of the cases was filed recently at the North CEN Police Station. Vijay manipulated the young woman into believing he was someone doing him in fear of legal action. After befriending her on a matrimony site, Vijay alleged his family property was being investigated by the Enforcement Directorate (ED).
He also created forged court-related documents and fake stay orders from the Supreme Court and High Court to make his story plausible. He said his bank accounts were frozen, and he needed urgent liquidity to “settle” the legal issues. A victim trusted that he also had the right to make fake reports, so he presented the victim with ₹50 lakh in multi-installments only finding, later in his dealings, that every document was a painstaking forgery.
Using High-Profile Political Names
Vijay’s criminal record which stretches back several years illustrates a trend of abusing powerful names to intimidate victims or lure them. He had been accused of using the name of the former MP D.K. Suresh. He allegedly made a series of pledges to several individuals about lucrative government tenders for close proximity to the MP. His scam expanded by offering vehicle lease agreements with well-known company Tata Power DDL. With a series of forged signatures and seals drawn by government officials, he produced "official" allotment letters, thus receiving lakhs of "security deposits" from unsuspecting contractors.
A Pan-Karnataka Trail of Fraud
Vijay Raj Gowda is a sought-after man in various jurisdictions in the country as per the investigation:
- Shivamogga: He cheated a woman of ₹13.5 lakh by the same matrimonial arrangement.
- Anekal: He organised a gargantuan scam of selling a cement factory, defrauding investors of ₹90 lakh. This culminated in a case in the Bengaluru Rural Cyber Crime department.
- Vidhana Soudha & Kengeri: At these stations too, he has had cases of impersonation and tender fraud as well.
Police Action
The North CEN police were able to apprehend Vijay after tracing his digital footprint and analysing the forged documents. They also seized the fake seals, letterheads of government departments, and electronic devices used to issue forged court orders.
“Vijay Raj Gowda is a professional conman who knows how to exploit the psychological weaknesses of his victims. It’s what he says, it could be the hope of marriage, it could be just greed for a government tender whatever it is, he knows just which string to pull." He is so tied to more than a dozen cases that the police are urging residents that could have been taken advantage of by Vijay to speak up and lodge complaints.
