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Our Bureau

Visakhapatnam , Dec. 30

MR Kola Krishna Mohan, who created a sensation four years ago in Vijayawada by claiming to have won Euro lottery (Rs 83 crore or so) and obtaining loans running into crores from individuals and institutions such as banks, has resurfaced again.

This time round he has chosen Visakhapatnam and adopted a different modus operandi. But "the long arm of law has caught up with him this time much faster and without causing as much damage," according to the Police Commissioner of Visakhapatnam, Mr B. Prasada Rao.

The Police Commissioner called a press meet here on Tuesday to announce the arrest of Mr Krishna Mohan and his son on charges of misrepresenting themselves and defrauding people. Some of the cheques issued by Mr Mohan had also bounced, Mr Prasada Rao said.

He said Mr Krishna Mohan, 45, a resident of Bhavanipuram area in Vijayawada, had arrived here seven months ago and started a business by taking an apartment in Lawsons Bay colony for a monthly rent of Rs 5,000.

He started a showroom on October 5 in Waltair Uplands with his sons, K.V Kiran Kumar and K. Sai Kalyan, in the name of `Makdonalds'. He started selling fresh chicken, mutton and biryani.

Later, he issued advertisements in the Telugu papers and started collecting deposits from the public to offer franchisee outlets. "He obtained deposits of Rs 1 lakh from K. Sathyavathi and K. Mani Prakash and did not provide them any outlets. Nor did he refund the deposit and the cheques issued by him had bounced. On the complaints of the two, we have registered cases under Section 420 IPC against him and his sons and arrested Krishna Mohan and one of his sons. The other son is to be traced yet,'' the Commissioner said.

He said the passports and other documents of the accused had been seized and further investigation into his activities would go on.

"Several cases are pending against him in Vijayawada and we are co-ordinating with our colleagues in Vijaywada and Hyderabad to prepare a foolproof case against him,'' he said.

Answering a query as to why the police had not kept him under surveillance for the past seven months in view of his track record in Vijayawada, the commissioner clarified that the police had no right to prevent Mr Krishna Mohan from pursuing a business.

"In fact, we could not arrest him even after the cheques had bounced. According to the guidelines issued by the RBI, there should be intention to cheat. We could arrest him only after we received the complaints,'' he said.

Mr Prasada Rao said that Mr Krishna Mohan seemed to have misrepresented himself with slight alterations in his name, as his original name had become too well-known, for all the wrong reasons, of course, during the Vijayawada episode.

The Commissioner allowed the press to talk to Mr Krishna Mohan who said defiantly that he had done nothing wrong. Payment had been delayed to a woman and she had complained to the police. He declined to comment on his activities in Vijayawada, "as it is sub-judice."

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