Manipal: Six employees of a battery-operated vehicle service provider at the Manipal Institute of Technology (MIT) campus have been arrested for allegedly diverting passenger fares amounting to Rs 12 lakh through a duplicate QR code, police said.The accused worked for Indeanta E-Mobility Pvt Ltd, which operates battery-powered vehicles to transport students and parents within the MIT campus at Shivalli village.According to police, the accused stopped using the company’s official QR code from April 1, 2026, and allegedly created a separate transaction account and a personal merchant QR code. They allegedly collected passenger fares through the duplicate QR code and diverted the money to a bank account held by Aishwarya, wife of accused Muthanna Adinavar.Police said Rs 12 lakh was allegedly diverted through the account and later distributed among the accused.Based on a complaint filed by the company’s human resources manager on Oct 2, Manipal police registered a case under Sections 316(4), 316(5), 318(2), 318(3), 318(4) and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.The accused, arrested on Oct 2, were identified as Siddamurthy G, 29, from Vijayanagar district; Shivaraj Naik, 30, from Udupi; Sudeep, 30, from Chithradurga; Jitesh L Kanchan, 29, from Manjeshwar, Keralam; Muthanna Adinavar, 32, from Belagavi; and MB Avinash, 24, from Belthangady.They were produced before a court and subsequently taken into police custody for further investigation, police said.
