Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru (SP)
Updated
Bengaluru, Apr 2: Fourteen persons, including son-in-law of former Karnataka Legislative Council Chairman Veeranna Mattikatti, were arrested on Saturday night with demonetised notes of the face value of Rs 9.10 crore, the city police said on Sunday.
"On a tip-off, we searched a house at Benson Town in Bengaluru central suburb and took 14 persons into custody for trying to exchange old currency notes with the face value of Rs 9.10 crore," H. M. Mahadevappa, Assistant Commissioner of Police of the Bengaluru City Crime Branch, said.
The police have also seized 15 mobile phones, two two-wheelers and two four-wheelers from the arrested persons.
For the first time, a close relative of a political leader has been arrested for his involvement with demonetised currency notes exchange mafia. The police suspect the money they have seized now to be belonging to politicians and realtors.
Veeranna Mattikatti's son-in-law, Praveen Kumar (43), currently residing in Sadashiva Nagar, Dharwad, happens to be one of the arrested accused. The others are Edwin Rosario (38) from Benson Town here, N Umesh (45) from Nagarbhavi area, Prabhu Mahantesh (34) from Nagarbhavi, Anmbalagan Raju (47) residing in Bhoopasandra, Manmohan (51) from Hebbal, Narayana Bhat (56) from Puttur, P Chandrashekhar (50) from Malleshwaram here, S Srinivas (39) from Vijaya Bank Colony, Arun (42), residing in Basavanagara, Muhammed Imran (28) resident of R T Nagar, Harris (40) from Banaswadi, S Kishore Kumar (30) from Krishnagiri district, Tamil Nadu, and Shekhar (37) from Moodalapalya here.
It is said that Praveen had collected money from Umesh, a real estate businessman, by promising to exchange demonetised currency notes by charging 25 percent commission. When Praveen brought the money to the residence of Rozario's mother-in-law at Benson Town, the accused were arrested, said city crime branch police personnel.
The accused had planned to exchange the notes on the night of Saturday. On the basis of information collected from Nanjundaiah, a real estate businessman, who was arrested on March 28 for similar offence, police personnel raided the spot. One of the members of the city crime branch police team initially contacted an accused with a request to exchange his old notes. The accused promised to get the notes exchanged through a non-resident Indian friend he knew with 25 percent commission. A police team then went to Benson Town on the night of Saturday and made the arrests, it is said.
Mattikatti confirmed that Praven Kumar happens to be his son-law, but added that he does not have any contact with Kumar since the last six months. "I do not support any illegal activities with which he might be involved. I do not have anything to do with this incident. Police can move ahead as per law. I am currently busy campaigning for the party candidate in Gundlupet assembly constituency," he stated.
The government had made a special provision for non-resident Indians stuck with demonetised notes to exchange them in banks within India at the rate of Rs 50,000 per person till March 31. Even the police are not aware on what basis the racket, said to be guided by Narayana Bhat from Puttur, was planning to exchange the stock of demonetised notes, and which bank has agreed to do so.
"We presented 13 of the 14 arrested persons before a court. The judge remanded them in judicial custody for 14 days. We have taken Edwin Rosario, one of the arrested persons, into police custody for further interrogation," Mahadevappa said.
The 14 persons were arrested under Section 420 of Indian Penal Code and 41B of Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) and Section 7 of the Specified Bank Notes (Cessation of Liabilities) Act, 2017.
On March 23, two men were arrested here with demonetised notes of the face value of Rs 1.28 crore.
On March 28, four men were arrested here with banned Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 currency notes with the face value of Rs 4.98 crore.
The BJP-led central government demonetised Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 currency notes on November 8 last year.
With IANS Inputs