Scrapped Rs 500 and 1000 notes worth over 41 lakhs recovered in Ahmedabad, 5 nabbed

Ahmedabad: Altogether 5 persons have been nabbed with scrapped Rs 1000 and 500 notes worth over 41 lakhs from two places in the city, police said today.

Rs 1000 and 500 notes worth around 37 lakhs were recovered from Sardarnagar area of the city last evening while Rs 1000 notes worth 4.5 lakh from Chandkheda area this morning.

In last around one week a total of 3 seizures of such notes in the city including these two have taken place close on heels of the recovery of Rs 8 lakh in demonetized currency on February 3.

Interestingly in two of the incidents the scrapped notes have been brought from the north Gujarat’s Mahesana district while in one it has been brought from central Gujarat’s Anand district however in the third seizure also a man from North Gujarat’s Sabarkantha district is said to be involved and has been arrested.

PI of Sardarnagar H B Zala today said that cash in old Rs 500 and 1000 notes worth Rs 36 lakhs 99 thousand Five hundred was recovered from an Indica car near Galaxy under-bridge last evening. ‘We conducted the search of the car on a tip off and also nabbed the three persons sitting in it. They have claimed that the notes belonged to one Baldevji Thakor of Mahesana and they were taking it to one Pintu, a resident of Naroda here. We have intimated the income tax department also,’ he said.

The PI said that those nabbed from the car are from Gandhinagar and claimed to be acquaintance of Baldevji Thakor.’The matter is being investigated., he said.

An official of the Chandkheda police station said that Rs 4.5 lakh cash, all in old Rs 1000 notes, were recovered from the dicky of a motorcycle during a search near Jagatpura crossing. Two persons sitting on the motorcycle one from Anand and the other from Sabarkantha have been nabbed. They have claimed that they were given the notes by someone at ST bus stand in Anand for delivery and exchange in Ahmedabad. The IT has been informed about the recovery and the matter is being investigated.

Earlier on February 3 the Ranip police had seized scrapped Rs 1000 and 500 notes worth around Rs 8 lakhs near Subhash bridge and nabbed four people in this connection. They had also come from Unjha town of Mahesana to exchange the notes on commission.

The three incidents of recovery of scrapped notes have taken place at a time when such seizures are a rarity post over 3 months since demonetization of such notes.

Now such notes can only be exchanged via RBI offices. And frequent recovery of such notes in Ahmedabad also indicates towards the possibility of some foul play in the exchange of notes.

DeshGujarat