Bengaluru: Posing as Income Tax sleuths, three men robbed a Chennai-based businessman of Rs. 1 crore on NICE Road in Talaghattapura on Tuesday night. After ‘confiscating’ the cash —which was a mix of old and new notes — the con men instructed the businessman Arogyaraj to report to the I-T headquarters in the Central Business District. It was only when Arogyaraj dutifully reported to the IT HQ on Wednesday did he realise that he had been conned.
Police believe that the conmen took advantage of the confusion following the demonetisation of Rs. 500 and Rs. 1,000 notes.
Arogyaraj was heading to an APMC yard in a van with three employees when they were intercepted. The three con men, who came in a car, instructed Arogyaraj to pull over.
When the businessman stepped out of the vehicle, the trio introduced themselves as I-T officials, ‘checked’ the vehicle and recovered a bag containing Rs. 1 crore.
Arogyaraj tried to reason with them and explained that he is a wholesale dealer and was carrying the money to purchase goods. But the trio demanded documents to validate his claim.
When he failed to provide the same, they confiscated the bag and asked Arogyaraj to follow their car to the I-T headquarters. Along the way, the men gave the businessmen and his employees the slip.
Arogyaraj immediately drove to the I-T office, but it was shut. The next morning, he went back to the office. On confronting officials there, he was told that no such seizure had been made.
“We believe that the person who pulled off this job was an insider. Someone who was aware of Arogyaraj’s schedule and the fact that he had a lot of cash in hand,” said a senior police officer.
“A case of cheating by impersonation has been registered. We have formed two special teams to track down the culprits,” said Sharanappa S.D., DCP (South).
Realtors duped by a gang of six
Two realtors from Bengaluru, who were desperately trying to exchange old currency notes through middlemen, lost Rs. 80 lakh in an elaborate con.
On the recommendation of an acquaintance, realtors Shivraj and Satish approached a man, identified as Karthik, who promised to give them new currency for a 20 per cent commission.
As per the deal, Karthik, along with six of his associates, went to Satish's house in J.P. Nagar on Thursday and collected Rs. 80 lakh in notes of Rs. 500 and Rs. 1,000 denominations.
Karthik allegedly asked Satish and Shivraj to accompany his men who would hand over the new currency to them. While the gang rode in their bikes, Satish and Shivraj followed in a car.
The gang led the realtors to an isolated location where they informed the duo that they were CCB officials. They threatened them with punishment for hoarding black money and drove away in the car of the realtors.
The duo approached the J.P. Nagar police and filed a complaint.
The police have formed three special teams to track down the gang. "We have some leads and efforts are on to trace them," a senior police officer said.
Rs. 45 lakhs in car
The North Division police intercepted a car in which three men were carrying Rs. 45 lakh, near Yeshwantpur on Friday. The trio were heading towards Peenya when the police flagged down the car. The trio were taken to Yeshwantpur police station and handed over to I-T officials for further inquiries.
