Surat man attempting to turn ₹5 crore into white money robbed; 2 accused held

Surat: An elderly businessman living in the Rander area of the city was robbed of ₹5 crore while attempting to convert his cash proceeds into legal white money.

Harish Vankawala, residing in Navayug Society in Rander, had received ₹5 crore from the sale of land. He had been in contact with some people for the past six months to convert this money into white funds. In the last 15 days, he connected with two individuals.

Harish, living with his family near Navayug Society in the Adajan area of Surat, received this amount from the sale of land. He had been in contact with some people to convert his money into white funds for the past six months. In the last 15 days, he had spoken with two people who told him that when he handed over the cash, it would be returned as an RTGS entry. These two individuals have been identified as Shailendra and Srikanth, both hailing from Mumbai. On Friday, Harish left with the money in a car, along with Shailendra and Srikanth, but soon a white Innova arrived and took the money from Harish’s car. The robbers also forced Srikanth and Shailendra into their car and fled the scene. This incident happened around 2:30 PM, after which Harish contacted the police.

In a prompt response, six teams of local police, including the Crime Branch and SOG, were formed, involving more than 100 policemen. They set up blockades in various areas of the city and reviewed over 50 CCTV footages. Around 6 PM, the car was spotted at the Bhilad check post. Two robbers abandoned the vehicle and attempted to run away with the bags of cash but were apprehended.  The Valsad police seized the money and the car and handed over these items, along with the accused, to Surat police, which is carrying out further operations. DeshGujarat