Twist in tale as currency gang puts cops in dock

A money-laundering racket has come to light, with charges and counter-charges flying thick and fast against the police, tax officials and a syndicate of six.

The drama began three weeks ago, on November 28, when a team of policemen and income tax officials said they had seized Rs 50.25 lakh from a car in Girinagar.

The case took a dramatic turn when two of the six persons approached City Police Commissioner N S Megharikh, accusing the team of robbing them of Rs 72.5 lakh and reporting a haul of just Rs 50.25.

The raid had yielded Rs 50.25 lakh in crisp new Rs 2,000 denomination notes, according to the police, who had detained Kumar, Ramesh Reddy, Satish, Vasanth Kumar and Vinay in connection with the haul, and recorded their statements at the Girinagar police station.

While four of those questioned did not offer any explanation for the stash, Satish, a resident of Davangere district, said he had collected Rs 11 lakh after pledging his property. He had no explanation for the remaining Rs 39 lakh.

The next day, Savitha, a resident of Uttarahalli, met the police and staked claim to the seized cash.  She said she had collected Rs 15 lakh by pledging her ornaments with Ambika Banker, a pawn broker, in early November. She could not explain the rest of the money.

When the police contacted the pawn broker, he purportedly told them Savitha had never pledged any ornaments with him.

Department action

Meanwhile, Megharikh submitted a report to DG&IGP Omprakash, as the petition had named Dr Prasanna Venkatesh, Assistant Commissioner of Police (Special Inquiry Squad), Central Crime Branch.

“Based on Megharikh’s report, I have ordered a CID inquiry. The ACP is attached to the CCB, a Bengaluru City Police Commissionerate unit. We wanted an outside police agency to investigate the case. Hence, the CID,” Omprakash told DH.

But Prasanna says he has documentary evidence to prove his innocence. “We have videographed everything, including the raid and Savitha’s statements. Three I-T officials were part of the raid, and the Girinagar police inspector was also present when the statements were recorded,” he told DH.

Satish is an unemployed youth, while Savitha goes from door to door selling sarees. It is hard to believe they had Rs 50.25 lakh, all in Rs 2,000 denomination notes, he said.
The six complainants could not explain why they took more than three weeks to approach Megharikh, he contended.