Six fraudsters posing as ED officials loot Rs 30 lakh in Karnataka

A group of six unidentified individuals, posing as officials from the Enforcement Directorate (ED), allegedly raided a house in Bantwal town, Dakshina Kannada district, and fled with nearly Rs 30 lakh in cash, along with five mobile phones, police said on Saturday.

The incident took place on the night of January 3.

According to the complaint lodged by Mohammad Iqbal (27), a resident of Kolnadu and an agriculturist, the accused arrived at his residence at around 8.10 pm in a vehicle with a Tamil Nadu registration.

Introducing themselves as ED officials, they claimed to have orders to search the house. After entering the premises, they confiscated five mobile phones from the family members before searching.

"During the inspection, the accused allegedly took away Rs 25-30 lakh in cash that had been kept in a cupboard for business purposes. They reportedly told the family that keeping such a large sum of money at home was not permitted and threatened to arrest Iqbal," a senior police officer said.

At approximately 10.30 pm, the group left the residence, assuring the family that proper documentation for the seized cash would be provided and that they could collect the money from an office in Bengaluru, the officer said.

After discussing the incident with family members, Iqbal realised they had been deceived by impostors posing as ED officials, he added.

Following this, a complaint was lodged at the Vitla police station, leading to the registration of a case under sections 319(2) and 318(4) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023, police said.

Efforts are being made to nab the accused, with further investigation currently underway, police said.