Four fake IT officials raid dentist’s home in Madikeri

Madikeri: The Kushalnagar Police of the district have arrested four persons, including two women, for posing as Income Tax officers and raiding the house of a Dentist under the pretext that they had received tip-off that an ambulance carrying Rs. 200 crore in cash had offloaded the cash in the house.

The arrested have been identified as Teena Nanjappa, 37 years, of Bittangala in Virajpet taluk, Cariappa, 42 years, of Bethu village, Neeta Milind, 45 years, of Ponnampet and Harish, 33 years, of Devanahalli, while the fifth accused in the case has gone absconding.

Five persons who entered the house of Dentist Praveen Devaragunda Somappa  at Gummankolli near Kushalnagar at 7.30 am on the morning of Nov. 9, posed as Income Tax officers and told the house occupants that they had raided the house after getting a ‘tip-off’ that an ambulance carrying Rs.  200 crore cash had off-loaded the cash in the house.They later asked all the occupants of the house to switch off their cell-phones and sit at one place together. Later, they began searching the entire house for’ finding’ the ‘Rs.200 crore cash’ and the search went on till 8.45 am. But after finding nothing, they left the house.

The house owner Praveen, the Dentist, got suspicious of the motive of the 5 unidentified persons who posed as Income Tax officers and lodged a complaint with the jurisdictional Kushalnagar Police. The Police who began investigations, found some clues based on which they arrested four of the five persons who had ‘raided’ Praveen’s house. The police are on the lookout for the fifth accused                        in the case.

The nabbing operation was carried out by Kushalnagar Circle Inspector B.G. Prakash, PSIs Geetha and Kashinath Bagali and other staff under the guidance of Somwarpet DySP R.V. Gangadharappa.

Meanwhile, the Police have issued a notification asking the people to complain or call Emergency Helpline 112 if they come across any unidentified persons or strangers who raid houses or other premises posing as officers of different departments and also to inform in case of any illegal activities taking place anywhere.