A 36-year-old farmer from Hosakote has filed a complaint with the Varthur police alleging that his voter ID card was misused by an unidentified person to fraudulently obtain a SIM card, which later surfaced during the investigation of a murder case registered two years ago.

The complainant, identified as L.S. Puneeth, said he was summoned by Varthur police after call detail records connected the mobile number to a murder investigation reported in September 2024. Puneeth appeared before police officials and clarified that he had no connection to the SIM card or the crime and that he had been wrongly implicated due to identity misuse.

According to the complaint, an unknown individual allegedly forged Puneeth’s voter ID card by replacing the original photograph with another image and used the document to obtain a SIM card from a mobile store on Sarjapura Main Road.

The police reportedly called Puneeth to appear before the Assistant Commissioner of Police’s office on May 2, and after detailed questioning and cross-checks, the police gave him a clean chit.

In his complaint, Puneeth stated that he is a farmer educated up to class 9 and has been residing in Hosakote for several years. He maintained that he had never applied for or used the disputed SIM card and requested the police to initiate legal action against those responsible for forging his identity documents.

The SIM card allegedly surfaced during an investigation into a murder case registered at Bagalur Police Station in September 2024.

According to police records, the body of an unidentified man aged around 30 to 35 years was found near a roadside area under the Bagalur Police Station limits on September 18, 2024. The victim had sustained multiple stab injuries and signs of assault.

Subsequent investigation identified the deceased as Revant Kumar, 23, a resident of Bengaluru. The case was transferred to the Varthur police. They later arrested multiple accused persons in connection with the murder, allegedly linked to previous personal disputes.

During the probe, investigators traced certain phone records connected to the disputed SIM card, leading to Puneeth being summoned for questioning.

The police are now investigating the alleged misuse of the voter ID card and the identity fraud angle.