Chamarajanagar, (Karnataka)  Karnataka police have booked four persons from Kerala for providing fake RT-PCR reports while entering the state thorough Chamarajanagar district, police said on Friday.

According to police, the accused had produced fake Covid reports in Moolehole Checkpost which comes in the jurisdiction Bandipur Tiger Sanctuary bordering Kerala. Gundlupet police have filed an FIR against the accused.

The FIR has been booked against Vijay, Jayaprakash, Santhosh and Vijayan, all residents of Kozhikode in Kerala. They have been booked under IPC Sections 465 (forgery), 468 (forgery for the purpose of cheating), 471 (whoever fraudulently or dishonestly uses any document as genuine which he knows or has a reason to believe it to be forged document), 420 (cheating) 34 (criminal act done by several persons in furtherance of common intention).

According to police, the accused had used single SRFID and created negative Covid reports at home. They took out the printouts at home and submitted to the same with the Karnataka police at the check post on Tuesday.

Later, the fraud came to light when the documents were verified on Friday following which the FIR has been lodged. The government has made negative RT-PCR report mandatory for the persons who enter state from Kerala.

Further investigation is on and police have launched hunt for the accused.