Accused Gets 3 years imprisonment for forging signature and email ID of APJ Kalam
Udupi: The district additional JMFC Court on December 12, awarded a 3-year imprisonment and Rs 7000 penalty to Niranjan Chidanand Bhat (36), for creating a fake email ID in the name of the late former President Dr. A P J Abdul Kalam and forging his signature.
According to the press release, Niranjan Chidanand Bhat (36), a resident of Moodabettu in Kodavoor Village near Malpe, had created an email ID in the name of apj_abdulkalam@in.co from ‘Surf N View’ cyber cafe near Karavali Bypass Udupi and also created forged documents. By using this ID, he corresponded with various institutions abroad.
Through this email, he sent emails to various people, offering them job opportunities. He would create recommendation letters purported to have been issued by eminent personalities and sold them for a price. He is also charged with creating records with fake signatures of the former president for recommending himself for being conferred with the prestigious Hoover Medal of the USA by sending the forged letter to the secretary of the Hoover Medal, Board of Award, New York. Niranjan is also accused of sending fake records to the Science and Technology Institute, Japan and Dr Yogi Goswamy, New York.
The former Udupi CPI Srinivas Raj filed a complaint in the District Crime Branch against Niranjan and he was arrested by the police on March 23, 2010. The Udupi police raided the house of the accused and seized the forged documents and a seal. Later CPI Ganesh Hegde conducted an inquiry on the complaint and CPI S V Girish filed the charge sheet to the court.
On December 10, the district additional JMFC Court judge Manjunath M S conducted an inquiry of the accused and the witnesses. The charges against the accused were proved in the court and he was awarded three years of imprisonment and a fine of Rs 7000.
