Bengaluru: In the fourth incident of men in khaki turning into thieves post-demonetisation, police on Tuesday arrested a sub-inspector, four constables and two others for robbing a businessman of Rs. 16 lakh in November.
Sub-inspector Mallikarjun and constables Manjunath, Girish, Chandrashekar and Anantharaju are attached to Kalasipalaya police station. The police have also arrested two others Jaffar and Bhaskar for being a part of the racket.
According to the police, on November 22, Gangadhar, a businessman from Kunigal, had come to Bengaluru to exchange scrapped notes through an agent. He had nearly Rs. 20 lakh in demonetised Rs. 500 and Rs. 1,000 notes. He had planned to exchange the cash in the black market for a commission of 30 per cent, said the Peenya police. Investigators are trying to track the agents who organised the exchange.
After the exchange, Gangadhar was heading towards a house in Peenya with Rs. 16 lakh in valid currency. On the way, he was accosted by seven men who claimed to be policemen. They demanded to know the source of the money. When Gangadhar did not answer, the men threatened to book him.
However, they offered to let him off if he handed over the money to them. Gangadhar handed over the money for fear of being arrested.
However, he later changed his mind. On December 4, he filed a complaint at Peenya Police Station. A special team tracked down the seven persons, which eventually led to the arrest of PSI Mallikarjuna.
The five cops have been suspended. They have been booked for robbery and also under various sections of the Indian Penal Code. They have been remanded in judicial custody.
Since demonetisation was announced on November 8, there have been three other cases of police officials being involved in robbery hoping that the theft of unaccounted money will not be reported.
Cops turn robbers
December 4: Two constables arrested for allegedly robbing an advocate of Rs. 8 lakh at Girinagar
November 30: A retired Dy. SP and a constable attached to the CCB were arrested for robbing a businessmen of Rs. 83 lakh (in new currency)
November 26: Gang of five, including a constable attached to the Organised Crime Wing of the Central Crime Branch, abducted a businessman from Rajajinagar for a ransom of Rs. 25 lakh in new currency, which he had got in the black market
