Maharashtra Assembly Polls: Kolhapur Businessman Duped Of ₹25.5 Lakh By Imposters Posing As Election Vigilance Officers
Maharashtra Assembly Polls: Kolhapur Businessman Duped Of ₹25.5 Lakh By Imposters Posing As Election Vigilance Officers ( Representational image)
A Kolhapur businessman, identified as 50-year-old Subhash Laxman Harane from Bagal Chowk, Shahupuri, was deceived out of ₹25.5 lakh by five individuals posing as election vigilance officers, police reported on Wednesday.
The incident occurred near the Tawde Hotel Flyover on the Pune-Bengaluru highway in Kolhapur on Tuesday morning. Harane, who had just gotten off a private bus in Shahupuri, was approached by one of the men claiming to be a vigilance officer enforcing election code restrictions on carrying large sums of cash.
Inspector Deepak Jadhav from Gandhinagar Police Station stated, “The imposters questioned Harane about carrying cash, and after confirming, they informed him that such an amount was against the election code of conduct.” Harane, who operates a cradle rental business at local fairs, was returning home with earnings from the previous day and cooperated with the men.
The men directed Harane to their vehicle, where four others were waiting. They informed him that they needed to verify the money and offered to take him to the police station. Inside the car, they took his cash and phone, with one of the men suggesting a “compromise” to avoid further issues. When Harane insisted on following the legal process, he became suspicious as the car diverted from the police station route. Fearing for his safety, he asked them to take the cash and release him.
The group eventually dropped Harane near Sarnobatwadi, fleeing with his cash and phone. He later filed a complaint at Gandhinagar police station.
“Five teams have been mobilized to track down the suspects, and an FIR has been filed against five unidentified individuals,” Inspector Jadhav confirmed. As Kolhapur gears up for the upcoming elections on November 20, the local administration has deployed over 150 inspection teams to enforce the model code of conduct.
Additional Superintendent of Police Jayashree Desai, Sub-Divisional Officer Sujit Kumar Kshirsagar, and other officials have visited the spot of the incident to assess the situation.
