6 pose as ED officials to rob bizman of ₹30 lakh
A group of six unidentified people posing as ED officials allegedly robbed ₹30 lakh from the residence of a beedi entrepreneur in Bantwal taluk
A group of six unidentified people posing as Enforcement Directorate (ED) officials allegedly robbed ₹30 lakh from the residence of a beedi entrepreneur in Bantwal taluk, Dakshina Kannada district, police said on Sunday. The incident occurred on Friday night and has prompted a police investigation to apprehend the culprits.
Dakshina Kannada district superintendent of police (SP) N Yetish said Iqbal, son of Suleiman Haji, owner of a beedi manufacturing business in Narsha in Bolanthoor village, had filed a complaint on Friday stating that the assailants came in a Tamil Nadu-registered vehicle introduced themselves as ED officers and claimed they were there to conduct a search under an official warrant. During the alleged inspection, they allegedly “confiscated” five mobiles from the family to prevent communication.
“During the fake search, the criminals discovered ₹30 lakh stored in a wardrobe, which Suleiman had kept for business purposes. The impostors alleged that possessing such a large sum of cash was illegal and threatened to detain him unless he provided proper documentation. They instructed Suleiman to retrieve the cash later from their Bengaluru office,” Yetish said.
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He further said: “Adding to their deception, the impersonators demanded to see any gold ornaments in the house while sealing off the front and back doors. They ultimately fled with the cash and mobile phones, convincing Suleiman to comply under the guise of conducting an investigation.”
Haji said that it was only after discussing the incident with his family that his son, Iqbal, realised the family was been duped.
“Based on Iqbal’s complaint, a case has been registered at the Vittal police station under Sections 319(2) (punishment for cheating by impersonation) and 318(4) (cheating) of the BNS Act 2023,” Yetish told Hindustan Times.
He further said: “The accused arrived at around 8:10 pm on Friday and seized mobile phones while posing as ED officials. They claimed the seized cash would be returned after an investigation at their Bengaluru office. We have initiated an investigation and are confident about apprehending the suspects soon.”
He added that the authorities are examining how the suspects selected Suleiman as their target and whether anyone provided them with information about his financial dealings.