Two NITK Surathkal Professors Arrested in Mangaluru for ₹13.5 Lakh NCC Allowance Misappropriation

In a significant action against institutional financial misconduct, the Mangaluru City Police have arrested two senior faculty members of the prestigious National Institute of Technology Karnataka (NITK) in Surathkal. The arrested individuals, identified as Associate Professors P. Sam Johnson from the Department of Mathematical and Computational Sciences and H. Shivananda Nayaka from the Department of Mechanical Engineering, served as Associate NCC Officers for the institute's Army Wing unit. The legal action follows a formal police complaint lodged by NITK Director B. Ravi after an internal audit flagged serious financial irregularities. According to police records, the two faculty members allegedly forged detailment orders and attendance certificates between May 2023 and May 2026. By presenting these fraudulent documents, they claimed travel, accommodation, and daily allowances amounting to ₹13.51 lakh—with Sam Johnson allegedly claiming ₹12.32 lakh and Shivananda Nayaka claiming ₹1.18 lakh. In one instance, both professors reportedly submitted the same fake detailment order for a training camp in Bengaluru to claim reimbursements. Following the internal probe confirming public fund breach, Surathkal police registered cases under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) sections governing criminal breach of trust, forgery, cheating, and using forged documents. Mangaluru City Police Commissioner Sudheer Kumar Reddy confirmed the arrests and stated that both accused would be produced before a magistrate court as detailed investigations continue to determine if additional persons were involved. The incident highlights the growing emphasis on institutional accountability and zero-tolerance policies regarding financial fraud in premier educational bodies.