12-crore scam deepens: Garment workers left unpaid
Kolar
Another major fraud involving the notorious ‘Kingpin’ Bharath has surfaced, exposing how he allegedly duped hundreds of poor workers after swindling nearly ₹12 crore through a fake firecracker ticket scheme. This time, Bharath has reportedly cheated over 180 garment workers in Bangarpet town of Kolar district by failing to pay their wages for more than six weeks.
Bharath, who operated Bharath Expert Garments in the G.R. Market building on KGF Road, has shut down the unit and gone missing. Workers allege that, after deceiving around 20,000 people in the firecracker scam, Bharath has once again targeted low-income groups—mostly women—by withholding lakhs in unpaid salaries. Additional reports indicate he also owes wages to 80 employees in KGF and 40 in V. Kote.
Workers who returned after Diwali found the factory locked and staged a protest demanding justice. Police reached the spot and assured them that complaints filed at the police station or with the Labour Department would be taken seriously.
Investigators suspect Bharath is still in contact with acquaintances through his mobile phone, and efforts are underway to trace him. Meanwhile, questions have been raised about the Labour Department’s negligence, as officials reportedly failed to ensure registration of workers and timely payment of wages. The incident has highlighted how the recurring frauds orchestrated by Bharath continue to exploit the poor and expose gaps in enforcement and worker protection.
