Officers from the Market Police Station arrested a 75-year-old man on charges of impersonation and fraud during a property transaction.

Ramachandra Venkatesh Deshpande, 75, of Patil Galli, Kotabagi, Hukkeri taluk, faces charges of claiming to be the owner of the property who died long ago and allegedly trying to sell it.

A case was registered based on the complaint filed by Srishail Dattatrey Guruv, 29, of Topinakatti village.

According to the police, the complainant’s grandfather, Mashanu Jayappa Gurav, and his brothers purchased 7 acres 32 guntas of land in Badala Ankalgi village from Chidambar Sripad Kulkarni and Ramesh Digambar Kulkarni in 1998.

“Several years after the death of the original owner, the accused sold it to another party. The accused went to the Belagavi sub-registrar’s office, took a photo on the office webcam and gave his thumb impressions. He allegedly cheated the complainant by entering into an agreement to sell the property to another person, who is the buyer and other accused in the case,” the police said.

Search for Vinod Deshpande, another of the accused, and others is on.

A team led by inspector J.M. Kamirchi, sub-inspector H.L. Kerur and staff conducted the investigation. Police Commissioner Borase Bhushan Gulabrao and Deputy Commissioners of Police Narayan Baramani and Niranjan Raje Urs have congratulated the team.