<div>A sub-inspector and four constables were arrested on Monday for robbing a businessman of Rs 35.5 lakh near Peenya on November 22. They colluded with two welders to threaten and rob Gangadhar, a mobile shop owner from Tumukuru district, police said. All those involved in the crime — Sub-inspector Mallikarjun, constables Manjunath, Girish, Chandrashekar and Anantharaju, police informant Jaffer and his friend Bhaskar — are now in custody, a senior police officer told DH.<div><br /></div><div>The Peenya police have recovered Rs 16 lakh in cash, and are looking for the rest of the stash. From Kunigal, Gangadhar had brought the cash to 8th Mile, Peenya, the police said. After he was robbed, Gangadhar took 12 days to approach the Peenya police and register a complaint. When the police began investigation, they found that welders Jaffer and Bhaskar had first contacted Ganga-dhar. After demonetisation, they would randomly call up people and offer to get their black money converted.<br /><br /></div><div>When they called up Gangadhar, he told them he had enough new notes, and was willing to trade them for old ones. The operators from Bengaluru offered him a 30% commission if he could exchange Rs 35.5 lakh, and he agreed. Bhaskar and Gangadhar then set up a place to meet, the police officer said. Bhaskar and Jaffer had no plans to exchange any money though, and were scheming to rob Gangadhar. They roped in sub-inspector Mallikarjun and promised him a share, the officer said. </div><div><br /></div><div>“Bhaskar and Jaffer met Gangadhar at the 8th Mile. As planned, Mallikarjun and the constables showed up, saying they were policemen. They asked Gangadhar to account for the cash. When he failed to show any papers, they grabbed the money and fled,” the officer said.</div><div><br /></div><div>ID card clueGangadhar gave the police the number from which Bhaskar and Jaffer had called him up. “We traced its location to Kalasipalyam. Gangadhar said one of those who had robbed him had showed him a police ID card with the name of Mallikarjun,” the officer recalled. That turned out to be a vital clue. The police checked their personal records and found a sub-inspector with that name at the Kalasipalyam police station.</div><div><br /></div><div>Jaffer’s mobile phone was also tracked to Kalasipalyam, where he is a habitual offender. Investigators contacted Mallikarjun and asked him about Jaffer. He claimed Jaffer was in police custody.</div><div><br /></div><div>“But when we questioned Mallikarjun closely, he confessed and gave out the names of the accomplices,” the officer said.</div></div>
<div>A sub-inspector and four constables were arrested on Monday for robbing a businessman of Rs 35.5 lakh near Peenya on November 22. They colluded with two welders to threaten and rob Gangadhar, a mobile shop owner from Tumukuru district, police said. All those involved in the crime — Sub-inspector Mallikarjun, constables Manjunath, Girish, Chandrashekar and Anantharaju, police informant Jaffer and his friend Bhaskar — are now in custody, a senior police officer told DH.<div><br /></div><div>The Peenya police have recovered Rs 16 lakh in cash, and are looking for the rest of the stash. From Kunigal, Gangadhar had brought the cash to 8th Mile, Peenya, the police said. After he was robbed, Gangadhar took 12 days to approach the Peenya police and register a complaint. When the police began investigation, they found that welders Jaffer and Bhaskar had first contacted Ganga-dhar. After demonetisation, they would randomly call up people and offer to get their black money converted.<br /><br /></div><div>When they called up Gangadhar, he told them he had enough new notes, and was willing to trade them for old ones. The operators from Bengaluru offered him a 30% commission if he could exchange Rs 35.5 lakh, and he agreed. Bhaskar and Gangadhar then set up a place to meet, the police officer said. Bhaskar and Jaffer had no plans to exchange any money though, and were scheming to rob Gangadhar. They roped in sub-inspector Mallikarjun and promised him a share, the officer said. </div><div><br /></div><div>“Bhaskar and Jaffer met Gangadhar at the 8th Mile. As planned, Mallikarjun and the constables showed up, saying they were policemen. They asked Gangadhar to account for the cash. When he failed to show any papers, they grabbed the money and fled,” the officer said.</div><div><br /></div><div>ID card clueGangadhar gave the police the number from which Bhaskar and Jaffer had called him up. “We traced its location to Kalasipalyam. Gangadhar said one of those who had robbed him had showed him a police ID card with the name of Mallikarjun,” the officer recalled. That turned out to be a vital clue. The police checked their personal records and found a sub-inspector with that name at the Kalasipalyam police station.</div><div><br /></div><div>Jaffer’s mobile phone was also tracked to Kalasipalyam, where he is a habitual offender. Investigators contacted Mallikarjun and asked him about Jaffer. He claimed Jaffer was in police custody.</div><div><br /></div><div>“But when we questioned Mallikarjun closely, he confessed and gave out the names of the accomplices,” the officer said.</div></div>
