Mysuru: A person, who was posing as MCC official and collecting money for issuing fake Trade Licence to shopkeepers, has been arrested by the Mandi Police here on Thursday.

The arrested fraudster, identified as Naveen Kumar, a resident of Rajendranagar in city, who used to operate under the fake name ‘Vinod N. Rao.’

Naveen Kumar, taking advantage of the ongoing MCC’s drive against commercial establishments which are operating without Trade Licences, came up with a plan to make quick bucks by using fake rubber stamps, Trade Licence certificates and cash receipts.

Naveen Kumar’s modus operandi was to visit commercial establishments, posing as an MCC official and collect money after issuing fake Trade Licence certificates, bearing the signatures of authorities concerned.

Some gullible traders and shopkeepers are said to have paid money ranging from Rs. 1,500 to Rs. 1,700 for getting trade licence certificates.

Naveen Kumar used to visit one commercial street a day, collect money and issue fake certificates but he ran out of luck on Thursday when he visited B.T. Chowdhary Pawn Broker Shop on Ashoka Road as the shop owner Rajendra Bhandari, who got his Trade Licence renewed after paying money to Naveen Kumar, suspected the authenticity of the signatures and seals on the certificate. Immediately, he called up MCC Zone-7 Revenue Inspector Mahadevaswamy, who rushed to the spot.

Later, Mandi Police, who arrived at the spot on being informed, questioned Naveen Kumar on the spot, during which he confessed to the crime. He claimed that Mallesh, a Group-D employee of the MCC and one Ramakrishna assisted him in his fraudulent activities.

Mandi Police are likely to produce Naveen Kumar before a Magistrate later today.