PUNE: Three Pune police constables were among four people arrested on Saturday by the Narpoli police in Thane district on the charge of robbing an Aurangabad-based trader of cash Rs45lakh near Bhiwandi on March 8.
“The cash belonged to a businessman from Nashik and was being transported through the Hawala route,” a Thane police officer told TOI. Narpoli police station’s senior inspector M M Ballal said on Sunday, “We have informed the IT department officials about cash movement.”
Ballal said, “The trader was carrying over Rs5crore in cash on his way to Mumbai from Nashik when his brother-in-law, Babubhai Solanki (45), a Hawala agent and resident of Pune, who is known to the constables, tipped the trio about the cash movement. The three constables then intercepted the trader near Bhiwandi and took away cash Rs45 lakh from him.”
The trader had lodged a complaint with the Narpoli police and during investigation; the police first arrested Solanki for his role in the robbery. Solanki’s questioning led the police to the arrest of the three constables — Ganesh Shinde (35), Ganesh Kamble (34) and Dilip Pilane (32) — all attached to the Dattawadi police station in Pune.
Pune’s assistant commissioner of police (Sinhagad division) Sunil Pawar told TOI, “The constables have been arrested for involvement in a crime. They will be suspended, and a departmental inquiry initiated against them.” The arrested constables and Solanki were produced before a Bhiwandi court, which remanded them in police custody till March 17.
On March 8, all four reached near Dive village on the Nashik-Mumbai highway. “The three policemen stopped the car near a petrol pump . They told the trader that they were from the police and wanted to check the car as they have got information about illegal transportation of cash,” the officer said.
He said they picked up Rs 45lakh from the car and left.
Ballal said that technical investigation confirmed that Solanki and the three policemen were in Dive on March 8. “We took Solanki into custody. He revealed the names of the trio. We arrested them on Saturday,” he said.
“The cash belonged to a businessman from Nashik and was being transported through the Hawala route,” a Thane police officer told TOI. Narpoli police station’s senior inspector M M Ballal said on Sunday, “We have informed the IT department officials about cash movement.”
Ballal said, “The trader was carrying over Rs5crore in cash on his way to Mumbai from Nashik when his brother-in-law, Babubhai Solanki (45), a Hawala agent and resident of Pune, who is known to the constables, tipped the trio about the cash movement. The three constables then intercepted the trader near Bhiwandi and took away cash Rs45 lakh from him.”
The trader had lodged a complaint with the Narpoli police and during investigation; the police first arrested Solanki for his role in the robbery. Solanki’s questioning led the police to the arrest of the three constables — Ganesh Shinde (35), Ganesh Kamble (34) and Dilip Pilane (32) — all attached to the Dattawadi police station in Pune.
Pune’s assistant commissioner of police (Sinhagad division) Sunil Pawar told TOI, “The constables have been arrested for involvement in a crime. They will be suspended, and a departmental inquiry initiated against them.” The arrested constables and Solanki were produced before a Bhiwandi court, which remanded them in police custody till March 17.
On March 8, all four reached near Dive village on the Nashik-Mumbai highway. “The three policemen stopped the car near a petrol pump . They told the trader that they were from the police and wanted to check the car as they have got information about illegal transportation of cash,” the officer said.
He said they picked up Rs 45lakh from the car and left.
Ballal said that technical investigation confirmed that Solanki and the three policemen were in Dive on March 8. “We took Solanki into custody. He revealed the names of the trio. We arrested them on Saturday,” he said.