Mumbai, Jan 13: The Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing a kidnapping case linked to the alleged haul of demonetised Rs 2,000 notes worth Rs 400 crore has arrested four persons in connection with the case,
officials said on Tuesday.
The SIT has also named Thane-based builder Kishor Sawala as an accused after allegedly finding his involvement, and efforts are underway to trace him. In addition, Virat Gandhi, an Ahmedabad-based hawala operator with alleged ashram links, has been identified as an absconding accused, and searches are being conducted in this connection, officials added.
Those arrested, according to the SIT have been identified as Jayesh Kadam, a police constable attached to the Kalyan Government Railway Police (GRP); Janardan Dhaygude, another railway police personnel attached to Thane GRP; Sunil Dhumal, described by police as a history-sheeter allegedly working for a builder; and Vishal Naidu, who is suspected to be involved in hawala operations.
Officials said the arrests are part of the ongoing probe into the alleged abduction of the complainant, Sandeep Datta Patil, and attempts to forcibly recover cash reportedly stolen during the heist. The accused were produced before a Nashik court and remanded to seven days of police custody till January 20.
As per the SIT investigation, all four accused are alleged to have played a role in the kidnapping of Patil in connection with the alleged heist of Rs 400 crore in demonetised Rs 2,000 notes. The massive cash consignment, which allegedly belonged to a prominent Thane-based builder, was reportedly meant for use by a Thane based politician said to be close to the builder. Investigators are examining claims that the funds were intended for Maharashtra civic election-related expenditure and political manoeuvring, but were allegedly stolen before they could be utilised. The purported heist is said to have taken place on October 16 at Chorla Ghat on the Maharashtra–Karnataka border. The allegations are subjected to be investigated by the police.
According to the probe, the demonetised notes were being transported from an unidentified location of Karnataka border to a Gujarat-based ashram, Ahmedabad, where they were allegedly to be converted into smaller, legal denominations before being routed back to Maharashtra. Sources said the converted funds were purportedly intended to be channelled to a political leader for election campaigning and post-poll political activities.
The SIT has claimed to have found the Thane-based builder’s alleged direct involvement in both the kidnapping and the purported misappropriation of the Rs 400-crore demonetised cash, funds for which, investigators noted, no formal complaint had been filed either in Maharashtra or Karnataka. The builder’s alleged role is now central to the ongoing investigation, as authorities probe the sources of these undeclared funds and their alleged diversion into criminal and political channels.
Investigators are also trying to identify the Ahmedabad-based ashram that was allegedly to receive the cash in exchange for Rs 170 crore in legal tender under a purported 60:40 commission arrangement. The hunt continues for the absconding hawala operator virat Gandhi, as the SIT works to trace the financial trail.
Currently, the SIT is interrogating the arrested accused based on digital evidence provided by the complainant, including audio, video and chat records. Officials said the Kalyan GRP officer is reportedly a key accused. He was earlier suspended in a sales tax fraud case two years ago and later reinstated in a demoted posting. Sources alleged that he unofficially tracked the movement of the Rs 400-crore consignment across Mumbai, Nashik and Karnataka, including procuring CCTV footage from a toll naka near Chorla Ghat, which allegedly helped trace the heist. Investigators further claim he was later involved in the complainant’s kidnapping and was allegedly in contact with both the builder and the absconding hawala operator, while also purportedly seeking extortion from the funds.
Police sources alleged that the Thane GRP personnel Janardan Dhaygude, along with the Mumbai-based history-sheeter Sunil Dhumal, acted on the builder’s instructions, visiting Nashik in coordination with the Kalyan GRP officer to plan the complainant’s abduction.
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The hawala suspect Vishal Naidu is said to be a close associate of the absconding operator Virat Gandhi and is allegedly linked to the Rs 400-crore heist, with investigators claiming that CCTV footage from Chorla Ghat shows both men present during the purported cash transfer.
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