A group of men who posed as sleuths of the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) took away₹ 13 lakh from a Kerala-based businessman late on Wednesday.
Noushad, a native of Thalassery in Kannur district of Kerala, lost the money in the surprise ‘vehicle check’ conducted by a group of five men around 11 p.m.
According to the police, the incident happened at Sivananda Colony when Noushad and Abinesh were travelling in a car. Five men, who came in two cars waylaid the duo’s vehicle. They introduced themselves as vigilance sleuths and checked Noushad’s car. The men found ₹ 13 lakh kept in a bag which Noushad had carried to purchase jewellery.
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The men seized the money and told Noushad to produce documents to prove the source of the money at the DVAC office to reclaim it. Noushad and Abinesh approached the Rathinapuri police after the men left. The police contacted the DVAC office and found that no such seizure was carried out by the vigilance sleuths.
The police said that they were interrogating Abinesh, suspecting his role in the heist. The police have also collected visuals from surveillance cameras from the locality to trace the cars used by the five men.