Following a week of probing into the alleged Rs 6-crore corporate social responsibility (CSR) grant fraud associated with the Infosys Foundation, Bengaluru authorities disclosed on Thursday that the individual apprehended had previously served as a contractor for the Foundation’s initiatives.
According to investigators, the individual, identified as Gagan N Deep, took advantage of his familiarity with project management, vendor relationships, clientele, and financial transactions to impersonate a senior official within the Foundation.
A senior police officer involved in the investigation remarked, “The accused had prior experience as a contractor, securing projects such as the construction of schools and hospitals funded by the Infosys Foundation’s CSR efforts. Although many contractors were engaged, he exploited his understanding of the Foundation’s operations—particularly client details and financial flows—to falsely present himself as the Regional Head of the Infosys Foundation.”
Authorities reported that Deep persuaded the Mysore Mercantile Company, located in Karnataka, to transfer nearly Rs 6 crore, which included payments labeled as “earnest money deposits” to supposed authorized vendors. He allegedly produced counterfeit sanction letters dated October 21, 2025, and forged grant agreements—one for the construction of over 855 houses valued at Rs 179 crore and another for primary health centers worth Rs 178 crore—to lend credibility to the transactions.
The situation was uncovered in March 2026 when Sridhar Thimappa, an executive at Mysore Mercantile Company, lodged a complaint stating that Deep approached them with claims of being able to secure CSR funding. He purportedly dispatched a team to evaluate the activities of the Heggunje Rajeeva Shetty Charitable Trust, which the company manages, and garnered payments under false pretenses.
Deep was arrested on April 3, and investigators are currently determining whether he operated independently or if there were accomplices involved in site evaluations, payment collections, or the creation of forged documents.
Authorities are also tracking the movement of funds and investigating the roles of entities that received the transferred money. The Infosys Foundation has warned the public to be wary of unsolicited requests for grant funding or demands for administrative fees.
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