‘ED officials’ take ₹30 lakh cash from businessman’s house in Vitla near Mangaluru

Vitla police registered a case under provisions of cheating and cheating by impersonation under the Bharatiya Nyay Samhita.

Six persons posing as Enforcement Directorate (ED) officials, took about ₹30 lakh in cash from the residence of a businessman in Vitla police station limits of Dakshina Kannada district on January 3.

The gang arrived in a car with Tamil Nadu registration plate at the residence of M. Sulaiman, an agriculturist and beedi entrepreneur, at Kolnad around 8.10 p.m. They introduced themselves as ED officials, claimed Mohammed Iqbal, son of Mr. Sulaiman, in a complaint to the police. They claimed to have a warrant to search the house. They confiscated the mobile phones of the family before searching the house.

On finding cash in an almirah in Mr. Sulaiman’s room, they men told the family that they could not keep such a huge amount of cash in the house. They ‘confiscated’ the cash, which amounted to about ₹30 lakh, gave an ‘acknowledgement’ and told the complainant to collect it from the ED office in Bengaluru before leaving the house, along with the mobile phones, around 10.30 p.m.

After discussions with other family members, Mr. Iqbal realised that the family had been duped. He immediately lodged a complaint with the police.

Vitla police registered a case under provisions of cheating and cheating by impersonation under the Bharatiya Nyay Samhita. Dakshina Kannada district Superintendent of Police N Yatish and other senior officials visited the house and guided the investigation.