Pune: Narpoli police in Thane district on Saturday arrested four persons, including three constables of Pune Police, for robbing an Aurangabad-based businessman in cash worth Rs 45 lakh near Bhiwandi on March 8.
A Thane police officer told TOI, “The cash belonged to a Nashik-based businessman and was being transported through the hawala route.” Senior inspector of Narpoli police station MM Ballal said on Sunday, “We have informed the IT department officials about the movement of cash.”
Ballal said, “The trader was carrying over Rs 5 crore in cash on his way to Mumbai from Nashik when his brother-in-law Babubhai solanki (45), a hawala agent and a resident of Pune, known to the constables, told the trio about the movement of cash. After this, the three constables stopped the trader near Bhiwandi and took Rs 45 lakh in cash from him.
The businessman had lodged a complaint with the Narpoli police during the investigation. The police had first arrested Solanki for his role in the robbery. Solanki’s interrogation led the police to arrest three constables – Ganesh Shinde (35), Ganesh Kamble (34) and Dilip Pilane (32) – all attached to Pune’s Dattawadi police station.
“The constables have been arrested for their involvement in a crime. They will be suspended, and a departmental inquiry will be initiated against them,” Pune’s assistant commissioner of police (Sinhagad division) Sunil Pawar told TOI. The arrested constables and Solanki were produced in a Bhiwandi court, which sent them to 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 businessman that they were from the police and wanted to check the car as they got information about illegal transportation of cash,” the officer said.
He said that he took out Rs 45 lakh from the car and left.
Ballal said the technical investigation confirmed that Solanki and three policemen were in a dive on March 8. “We have detained Solanki. He disclosed the names of the three. We arrested them on Saturday,” he said.
A Thane police officer told TOI, “The cash belonged to a Nashik-based businessman and was being transported through the hawala route.” Senior inspector of Narpoli police station MM Ballal said on Sunday, “We have informed the IT department officials about the movement of cash.”
Ballal said, “The trader was carrying over Rs 5 crore in cash on his way to Mumbai from Nashik when his brother-in-law Babubhai solanki (45), a hawala agent and a resident of Pune, known to the constables, told the trio about the movement of cash. After this, the three constables stopped the trader near Bhiwandi and took Rs 45 lakh in cash from him.
The businessman had lodged a complaint with the Narpoli police during the investigation. The police had first arrested Solanki for his role in the robbery. Solanki’s interrogation led the police to arrest three constables – Ganesh Shinde (35), Ganesh Kamble (34) and Dilip Pilane (32) – all attached to Pune’s Dattawadi police station.
“The constables have been arrested for their involvement in a crime. They will be suspended, and a departmental inquiry will be initiated against them,” Pune’s assistant commissioner of police (Sinhagad division) Sunil Pawar told TOI. The arrested constables and Solanki were produced in a Bhiwandi court, which sent them to 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 businessman that they were from the police and wanted to check the car as they got information about illegal transportation of cash,” the officer said.
He said that he took out Rs 45 lakh from the car and left.
Ballal said the technical investigation confirmed that Solanki and three policemen were in a dive on March 8. “We have detained Solanki. He disclosed the names of the three. We arrested them on Saturday,” he said.