A view of the High Court of Karnataka. | Photo Credit: File photo Referring to the rising threat of deepfakes, cyber fraud and criminals impersonating law enforcement personnel, the High Court of Karnataka has emphasised the need for strict inter-State police coordination in accordance with established norms while declaring illegal a cross-border investigative operation carried out by Maharashtra police at tobacco firms in Tumakuru.Justice Suraj Govindaraj ruled that the Vadgaon Police from Kolhapur had violated constitutional and statutory boundaries by inspecting business premises and recording statements without informing or taking the assistance of the local police in Tumakuru, in connection with a criminal case registered in Kolhapur.The court observed that with instances of “cyber fraud, impersonation, deepfakes and fraudulent digital arrests” becoming increasingly prevalent, authentication of police personnel operating outside their home State is critical.“An ordinary citizen may have no effective or immediate means of verifying whether the persons claiming to be police officials are, in fact, genuine law enforcement personnel,” the judgment noted, adding that unannounced inter-State operations create legitimate apprehension and can be exploited by criminal elements to intimidate individuals.The court made these observations while partly allowing petitions filed by Shiva Enterprises and Siddhi Agencies, Tumakuru, which had challenged the actions of the Vadgaon police.The case stems from an incident on August 19, 2025, when Maharashtra police intercepted a truck on the Bengaluru-Pune highway and seized pan masala and chewing tobacco, alleging violations of the Food Safety and Standards Act and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.While the FIR was registered against unknown persons and did not name the Tumakuru firms, a team of five to six Vadgaon police officials visited the petitioners’ premises on August 21. They issued notices directing the partners to appear in Kolhapur, but instead recorded their statements on the spot in Tumakuru, inspected their books of account and took copies of their ledgers without preparing a seizure memo.“It would be appropriate that police personnel undertaking operations in a State other than their parent State ordinarily coordinate with and seek the assistance of the jurisdictional police,” Justice Govindaraj observed while referring to various judgments of the apex court.While refusing to quash the criminal case, the court directed the Maharashtra police to follow the norm of informing the jurisdictional police in Karnataka before taking further action in relation to the petitioners, subject to applicable law and recognised exceptions in situations requiring urgent action.
Published - November 02, 2026 09:05 pm IST