The Karnataka High Court has ruled that police officers travelling to another state for an investigation must first inform and coordinate with the local police, citing the risks of cyber fraud, “digital arrests” and impersonation by people posing as investigators or government officials.
The direction was issued by Justice Suraj Govindaraj while partly allowing petitions filed by Tumakuru-based tobacco businesses Shiv Enterprises and Siddhi Agencies. The petitions challenged action taken by police from Wadgaon in Maharashtra’s Kolhapur district. The court declared the interstate investigative operation against the petitioners unlawful but declined to quash the first information report registered in the case.
The court said police entering another state to investigate must inform the local police within whose jurisdiction they are operating and seek their assistance. In this case, it held that the Wadgaon police had acted beyond constitutional and statutory limits.
The ruling comes against the backdrop of increasing cyber fraud, digital-arrest scams and cases in which individuals allegedly present themselves as investigation officers or other authorities. The court observed that residents may not be able to easily verify whether officials arriving at their homes or offices are genuine. Such uncertainty, it said, could be exploited by criminals to threaten members of the public.
The case arose after Maharashtra police stopped a truck on the Bengaluru–Pune National Highway on 19 August 2025 and seized pan masala and chewing tobacco products. A case was registered in Kolhapur alleging violations of the Food Safety and Standards Act and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
The first information report named unidentified persons as accused and did not name the two Tumakuru businesses as accused, according to the report. Despite this, a six-member team from the Wadgaon police station conducted searches at the petitioners’ establishments and issued notices asking the firms’ partners to appear in Kolhapur.
The court’s order distinguishes between the existence of a criminal case and the manner in which investigators exercise their powers outside their state. While the first information report remains in place, the investigative action against the petitioners was held to have crossed legal and jurisdictional boundaries.
The ruling places local police coordination at the centre of interstate investigations, particularly when officers visit residences, offices or businesses outside their home state. It also provides a formal safeguard for residents who may otherwise find it difficult to determine whether visiting officials have lawful authority. The reported order does not indicate any cancellation of the Kolhapur case itself; its immediate effect concerns the legality of the action taken by the Wadgaon police against the petitioners.
