Policemen turn robbers, loot Rs 3.5 crore hawala money in Coimbatore
Three policemen were arrested by the Coimbatore Police, in Tamil Nadu, for looting Rs 3.5 crore suspected hawala money.
In Short
- Three policemen arrested for looting Rs 3.5 crore suspected hawala money.
- One of them had been involved in similar robberies in the past.
- All the three officers have been suspended by the Trichy SP.
Three policemen were arrested on Wednesday by the Coimbatore rural police for looting Rs 3.5 crore suspected hawala money, in Tamil Nadu.
Investigations have revealed that one of them, Karur police station inspector Muthukumar, had been involved in similar robberies in the past.
THE PLOT
A five-member gang, including Muthukumar, sub-inspector Saravanan, and head constable Dharmendran in police uniform, intercepted a car on August 25 near Eechanari in Coimbatore under the pretext of a vehicle check.
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The car was carrying associates of Anwarsada, a businessman dealing in gold jewellery in Malappuram in Kerala.
On checking the car, the policemen found Rs 3.5 crore of unaccounted money. They asked Anwarsada's associates to get into the police car, in this case a Bolero, for questioning. In the meantime, another member of the gang drove Anwarsada's luxury car away.
After driving for a while, the men in uniform asked Anwarsada's associates to get down in the middle of a highway, and drove away.
It soon dawned on the men that they were robbed of the car and the money. One of them, Muhammad Musheer, called Anwarsada who, in turn, filed a complaint.
SMELLING A FOUL PLAY
The cops smelled foul play when during the investigation they found out that Anwarsada had filed a complaint regarding the missing car, and not the missing Rs 3.5 crore his associates complained about.
They questioned Anwarsada but couldn't get a clear answer from him. A special police team arrived from Chennai and started investigating the matter.
Police recovered the CCTV footage of the highway toll gate and were shocked to find their own men behind the robbery. The Trichy SP immediately suspended the three officers.
TRIED AND TESTED FORMULA
"Muthukumar would use his sources to find out about the route in which the hawala money would travel. He would then intercept the specific car and take the money," an officer said.
Since the money is unaccounted, its owner would seldom file a complaint. The police are now searching Muthukumar's properties to find further evidence against him.
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