Cops seize Rs 49 lakh scrapped notes, six men nabbed

Mumbai: In two separate incidents, the Thane Kasarvadavli police and Ghatkopar police seized demonetised cash worth Rs 33.5 lakh and Rs 16 lakh respectively. The Thane police arrested two men, while the Ghatkopar police arrested four in connection with possession of the demonetised cash.

Acting on a tip off, Thane’s Kasarvadavli police laid a trap near Eternity Mall in Thane, where the two arrested accused, residents of Mumbra, were to meet an agent who was going to exchange the demonetised notes with new notes at a commission of five per cent. The police arrested the accused duo identified as Mateem Shaikh (42) and Sameed Shaikh (22), and seized the scrapped notes in denominations of '500 and '1000. The police is probing the case and are likely to arrest the accused agent who would make the exchange for a commission.

While in Ghatkopar, the police received a tip off from an informer and laid a trap near Jambhali Pada in Ghatkopar west on Wednesday. At 9.40 pm, a car arrived with four persons matching the description given by the informer, following which the police intercepted the car and found demonetised cash worth Rs 16 lakh in old denominations of Rs 1000 and Rs500. The police immediately arrested four men identified as Shreedhar Bagal (27), Gajanan Khatal (28), Vijendra Sonawane (33) and Dileep Banushali (48).

In the month of March, the Thane police has seized demonetised cash worth Rs 2.01 crore. The police has booked the arrested accused for possession of the demonetised cash under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code and have remanded them in police custody till Monday.