Bengaluru: The Marathahalli police have busted an international currency racket and arrested a gang of four, including a 40-year-old head constable with Chitradurga police, while they were trying to sell Turkey’s Lira worth Rs 71 crore to a city-based businessman for a price of Rs 27 lakh.
The police were in for a shock when the prime accused, Nagaraju, pulled out a service pistol and aimed at one of the police personnel. Identifying himself as sleuth with the State Intelligence Bureau, Nagaraju showed them the ID card issued to him by the department.
The police have recovered 78 Lira’s each worth Rs 5 lakh from the accused. Nagaraju, who is in the custody, told the police that he had received the consignment from his contact Channareddy, who is on the run.
The police are now on the lookout for Channareddy. We are trying to track him down to ascertain the source of the currency, City Police Commissioner Praveen Sood said.
The accused approached Chellasamuel and his friend Shakeer, a city-based businessmen and offered to sell Rs 71 crore worth Lira.
The duo initially agreed, but later became suspicious and alerted the police.
A team of police led by Maratahalli police Inspector Prashanth Babu laid a trap and surrounded Nagaraju and his associates when they came to the parking lot of Innovative multiplex at Maratahalli to deliver the consignment.
As soon as the police team surrounded them, Nagaraju in a bid to make his last effort to escape, pulled out a pistol and pointed at the temple of head constable Thimmapparaju, threatening to shot him down.
However, the other police personnel overpowered Nagaraju and pinned him down while Channaraddy managed to escape.
The police have also arrested Shivaraju (50), a close friend of Nagaraju. Shivaraju, a graduate, is physically disabled. He is from Mahaveera Nagar in Chitradurda.
The other accused includes Murali (40), a Kannada film producer and resident of Mattikere and Aravinda Prasad, a 40-year-old realtor from Davanagere.
Though the currency has been demonetised in Turkey, it is remains a legal tender and can be exchanged till December 2019, Mr. Sood said. “We suspect that the accused are part of international currency racket.”
Meanwhile, investigations have revealed that the pistol along with ten rounds of ammunition was issued to Nagaraju while he was in SP Squad in Chitradurga. Though Nagaraju was transferred to Chitradurda kote police station, he failed to return the weapon.
Nagaraju came in contact with Channareddy, the prime accused in the racket and native of Andhra Pradesh, when he was arrested by Hiriyuru police in 2016.
Nagaraju helped him to secure bail and later ganged up with him to run the currency racket, the police said.
