Four men and a woman have been arrested as part of an investigation into a 'fake Garda' gang suspected of calling to rural homes pretending to be members of An Garda Síochána.
The five people who were arrested on Tuesday morning include two men aged in their 30s, a man aged in his 50s, a man in his 60s and a woman in her 50s.
They are currently being held at five separate Garda stations in counties in the east of Ireland under Section 50 of the Criminal Justice Act 2006.
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Gardai also carried out six searches in Dublin and other counties in the eastern region of the country and seized three Rolex watches, five vehicles, €3,000 in cash as well as "various other items of evidential value".
The investigation is ongoing and is based out of an incident room at Kilkenny Garda Station.
A spokesperson for An Garda Siochana said: "This morning, Tuesday 25th April 2023 Gardaí from the Garda Eastern Region investigating the activities of a criminal gang involved in theft and fraud by impersonating members of An Garda Síochána arrested 5 persons, (2 males in their 30s, a male in his 50s, a male in his 60s and a female in their 50s).
"The 5 persons arrested continue to be detained under Section 50 of the Criminal Justice Act 2006 at 5 separate Garda stations across the Eastern Region."
Gardai made the arrests as part of an ongoing investigation into the activities of a criminal gang involved in a major theft and fraud scam across 15 counties in Ireland.
The fraud involves members of the gang calling to rural homes, impersonating a member of An Garda Siochana.
They claim they are investigating burglaries in the area where sums of cash had been stolen and that they are attempting to identify the owners of the cash, or counterfeit cash.
They then request to compare cash in their possession against cash held by the homeowner - and then proceed to take any cash from the homeowner.
Giving more details, a Garda spokesperson said today: "The theft/ fraud involved members of the gang calling to rural homes, impersonating a member of An Garda Síochána, claiming they were investigating burglaries in the area where sums of cash had been stolen and that they were attempting to identify the owners of the cash, or counterfeit cash. The requested to compare cash in their possession against cash held by the home owner and then proceed to take any cash from the home owner."
The public is being reminded that gardai will not cold call to a house and request to check cash in this manner.
The spokesperson continued: "An Garda Siochana wish to remind the public that any Garda member calling to your door will have identification.
"However, should you have any concerns about the person at the door, you should not answer the door even if they are purporting to be a Garda.
"Genuine gardai will always provide official details to allow you to confirm their identity with your local Garda Station and will be patient while you choose to so."
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