In an incident that has caused embarrassment to the police department, a Criminal Investigation Department (CID) police inspector is among three persons accused of robbing a group of youths from Kerala of ₹20 lakh in Bengaluru’s Madiwala area.
According to police, the accused include a CID inspector and two associates identified as Upendra and Kumar. The trio allegedly intercepted the victims near a private hotel in Madiwala and posed as law enforcement officers.
Accused allegedly used police vehicle
Investigators said the accused reportedly used an official CID police jeep and displayed police identity cards to make the operation appear legitimate.
The victims were allegedly questioned about money they were carrying for trading-related activities. The accused reportedly claimed that the cash was illegal and demanded that it be handed over for verification.
When the youths refused to part with the money, the accused allegedly assaulted and intimidated them before forcibly taking ₹20 lakh, police said.
Victims secretly recorded incident
Suspecting that something was amiss, the victims reportedly recorded videos of the incident on their mobile phones.
After realising that they had been cheated, they approached the Madiwala Police Station and lodged a formal complaint.
Based on the complaint, police registered a case and launched an investigation under the supervision of Deputy Commissioner of Police Mohammed Sujeetha.
One arrested, CID inspector absconding
Police have already arrested one suspect in connection with the case and are continuing efforts to trace the remaining accused.
Sources said the CID inspector allegedly switched off his mobile phone and went absconding soon after learning that a First Information Report (FIR) had been registered against him.
Investigators have seized the police jeep that was allegedly used during the robbery and are examining evidence collected from the scene.
Officials said further arrests are likely as the investigation progresses. Police are also verifying the role of each accused and examining whether similar offences may have been committed elsewhere.
The probe is ongoing.