Maharashtra: Six detained with new notes, gold biscuits worth Rs 90 lakh

The Navi Mumbai police on Sunday afternoon detained six persons and seized Rs 34,98,000 cash of Rs 2000 new currency notes and gold biscuits worth Rs 55,96,000. This is the biggest seizure of new currency in Navi Mumbai after demonetization.

Working on a tip off received from reliable source, Khandeshwar police laid a trap on Sunday morning and caught six people with cash and gold biscuit. “We had received information that few people are coming to Panvel area to change old currency notes with the new ones on Saturday evening. Based on the information, we laid a trap and caught them near Adai Circle in New Panvel around 1 pm,” said Jairam Chapariya, senior police inspector, Khandeshwar.

They were traveling in Indica car. Police said that their officials in plain cloth intercepted the car and following search, they found cash and gold biscuits worth Rs 90,94,000. “We found 1,949 currency  notes of Rs 2,000 denomination and 22 gold biscuits,” said Chapariya.

Among the detained persons, three of them are goldsmiths from Pune. They have been identified as Raghunath Bhimrao Mohite, 30, Santosh Sarwerao Pawar, 30, Suryakant Jagganth Kande, 38, Tanaji Ishwar Matkare, 43, a working professional and resident of Kamothe in Panvel, Devaram Pusaram Solanki, 32, a resident of sector 9 in Vashi and Khumaram Kularam Chaudhary, 38, a resident of Airoli.

“We are investigating how did they manage to get cash in Rs 2,000 currency and how many such illegal transactions they have already done. We will also inform the income tax department about the seizure,” said Chapariya.