How three income tax officials & a cop orchestrated a Rs 15 lakh heist in Chennai

The officer allegedly questioned him about the contents of his bag, demanded documentation, and then made a phone call. Shortly thereafter, a man identifying himself as an I-T officer allegedly arrived and summoned three more individuals in an official car.

Ghouse was allegedly coerced into accompanying the group in the car. However, instead of taking him to the I-T office as claimed, the suspects drove him to the vicinity of the Egmore Children’s Hospital. There they allegedly brandished a knife, seized Rs. 15 lakh, and left Ghouse with Rs 5 lakh before dropping him off.

Dramatic turn

The case took a dramatic turn on December 17 when Ghouse filed a complaint. Initial inquiries revealed that SSI Raja Singh of the Triplicane police station, had intercepted Ghouse and alerted Damodharan, a 41-year-old I-T inspector, about the cash. Damodharan, in turn, informed his superior, 42-year-old Pradeep. Both Pradeep and Prabhu, a 31-year-old I-T superintendent, then arrived at the scene, transported Ghouse in a car, and allegedly orchestrated the heist.

During interrogation, the accused allegedly admitted to splitting the stolen cash and using official vehicles to facilitate the crime. CCTV footage allegedly corroborated key elements of the complainant’s account, helping police to track and apprehend the suspects.

Inspector Prakash of the Triplicane Law and Order Wing led the operation to recover the stolen money, seizing the entire amount from Prabhu’s residence. The police also claimed to have impounded the vehicles used in the incident. Further investigation revealed that Ghouse had handed over Rs 5 lakh to another individual in Triplicane according to his employer’s instructions.

While all three I-T officers are attached to the I-T Department office in Nungambakkam, Raja Singh, 48, a special sub-inspector is from the Kondithope police quarters. All four have been remanded to judicial custody.

A senior officer probing the case said it was Inspector Singh who initiated the scheme by identifying Ghouse as a potential target carrying large sums of unaccounted cash.

“We are probing whether the accused have been involved in similar crimes earlier. The use of official vehicles and the involvement of multiple officers indicate a level of planning and coordination that could point to a broader network of corruption,” the officer said.

The arrested officials have been booked with charges under sections related to robbery, criminal conspiracy, and abuse of official position.