3 min readBengaluruMay 7, 2026 07:53 PM IST
A 36-year-old farmer from Hosakote was pulled into a Bengaluru murder investigation after the police traced a mobile number linked to the case to a SIM card allegedly obtained using forged identity documents in his name nearly a decade ago.
The farmer, L S Puneeth, has since filed a complaint with the Varthur police, alleging that an unidentified person misused his voter ID card to fraudulently obtain the SIM card, leading investigators to mistakenly suspect his involvement in the case.
According to police, the SIM card surfaced during the investigation into the murder of Revant Kumar, 23, whose body was found with multiple stab injuries near a roadside under the Bagalur police station limits on September 18, 2024.
As part of the probe, investigators analysed call detail records connected to the accused and other persons linked to the case. During the scrutiny, police found that one of the mobile numbers under investigation had been issued using identity documents in Puneeth’s name.
Based on the records, Puneeth was summoned by the Varthur police in September 2024 for questioning.
Police sources said investigators initially suspected that the SIM card belonged to Puneeth because it had been activated using a voter ID card carrying his name and details. However, during questioning, Puneeth denied owning or using the number and told officers that his identity documents had likely been forged.
According to the complaint, the SIM card was allegedly purchased from a mobile phone shop on Sarjapura Main Road in January 2015 using a manipulated voter ID card. The original photograph on the card was allegedly replaced with another image before it was submitted for SIM registration.
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Interrogation and clean chit
The police again summoned Puneeth to the assistant commissioner’s office on May 2 for further verification. After cross-checking records and questioning him, investigators reportedly concluded that he had no connection to either the SIM card or the murder case and gave him a clean chit.
“I am a farmer and studied up to Class 9. I have been residing in Hosakote for many years and have never applied for or used this SIM card,” Puneeth stated in his complaint, seeking legal action against those responsible for forging his voter ID card and misusing his identity.
“A preliminary inquiry indicates that the complainant’s voter ID was misused to obtain the SIM card. Since the number surfaced during the murder investigation, he was called for questioning. So far, we have not found any evidence linking him to the crime,” a police officer said.
The police said they are now separately investigating the alleged identity fraud and the forgery of the voter ID card used to obtain the SIM connection.
