The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Thursday searched the residence of a Bengaluru man who claimed to have imported a rare “wolf dog" worth Rs 50 crore, triggering intervention by the central probe agency.

Following the man’s headline-grabbing claim, which quickly became a topic of discussion on social media, ED officials visited his home to investigate potential violations of the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA).

However, after the search, it was revealed that the man’s claim was false.

The officials found that the man had “no means" to afford such an expensive dog, and concluded that the reports were fabricated for social media attention, PTI reported.

According to several news reports, the man had claimed to have imported the “world’s most expensive" dog — a cross-breed of a Caucasian Shepherd and a wolf. The claim gained significant attention on social media.

Acting on this information, the ED visited his home to verify the claims, only to discover they were untrue. The dog, which had been widely shared on social media, was owned by his neighbour and was worth “less than a lakh (of rupees)," officials said.