Kolkata, March 31 (IANS) Following similar cases of forgeries of the same nature within just two months, the sleuths of Kolkata Police have started investigating inter-state racket rackets where the gang-members are targeting and robbing city-based businessmen of money.
Sources aware of the development said the initial investigation has revealed that all these recent crimes, reportedly done by the members of the same gang, have connections with a Mumbai-based gang christened “Irani Gang” which is involved in similar forgeries.
The modus operandi of the crime is like this where the gang members posing as officials of central agencies like the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), Enforcement Directorate (ED), or Income Tax department arrive at the residences or offices or shops of certain city-based businessmen, mainly medium-level traders, and after conducting a fake raid and search operations the gang-members leave robbing all the cash and valuables from the respective places.
These fraudsters have reportedly flashed fake identity cards of central agencies and even before leaving they got the signatures of the businessman or the trader concerned on fake seizure lists.
At times, even the trader or his representative, is stopped at the road while they were on their way to the bank from residence or office to deposit cash.
Thereafter, sources from the city police, the sequence of the event is the same where the said cash is robbed under the pretext of seizure and what all the victim is left with is a fake seizure list.
The latest event such event took place on March 27 night, when an employee of a jewellery shop based out of the city’s business hub Cotton Street, started from the shop carrying gold ornaments for delivery to a customer.
On the way, the employee was stopped by three unknown persons posing as CBI officers. Claiming that the employee was carrying ornaments prepared out of smuggled gold, the forgers seized (robbed) the entire ornament consignment worth over Rs 33 lakhs.
Similar incidents with the same modus operandi of crime had been reported from different other areas in Kolkata namely Jorasanko in North Kolkata, Hare Street in central Kolkata, and Bidhan-nagar in the northern outskirts of Kolkata during the last two months, which made the investigating official believe that member of a particular gang was involved in all these crime.
Given the crime the city police had issued an advisory for the common people. In case, such purported raid and search operations are being conducted at any residence or business establishment, the owner concerned should immediately inform either the local police station or even the control room of the city police headquarters about such development, so that the cops can verify whether the case is a genuine raid by genuine central agency officials.
In case the purported raid is attempted on the roads, the Kolkata Police have advised, first the persons being stopped should insist the raiding officials to come to the local police station and do the formalities there.
In case, the purported raiding officials deny going to the police station, then the person concerned should immediately call up the control room and inform the same.
–IANS
src/pgh
