HYDERABAD: The first-of-its-kind Economic Offences Wing (EOW) police station is now fully operational in Cyberabad. Previously the specialised agency used to investigate cases of financial fraud solely based on endorsement or referral by Commissioner of Police (CP) Avinash Mohanty. But now, it is open to the public, who can directly lodge complaints and get FIRs registered at the EOW police station.
“Be it financial fraud, real estate fraud, cheating and criminal breach of trust involving monetary loss, the EOW can take up the case,” Cyberabad EOW’s DCP K Prasad told TNIE.
However, only cases of financial fraud above Rs 3 crore can be registered at the EOW police station. The cops insist that there needs to be proof of transaction or other documentation to support their case. “If there is a bank transaction or an MoU or document from the Sub-Registrar Office, only then we can verify the case and investigate,” he said.
If there is a case of financial fraud where the victim handed over physical cash to the accused without any documentation, the case cannot be taken up by the EOW police station as it will be considered merely as a case of criminal breach of trust.
With a strength of 49 officers, the EOW police station started functioning on March 13. So far, it has registered and solved one case of real estate financial fraud wherein they arrested two persons for cheating over 10 persons to the tune of Rs 7 crore.