Kanpur Police arrests six for organised robbery, chances upon hawala network

Kanpur (UP), Feb 27 (PTI) Kanpur Police has cracked an organised robbery case after the arrest of six people, two of them in an encounter, officials said on Friday. Interestingly, the probe has also unearthed an alleged hawala network running into crores of rupees.

Officials said the arrests were made in relation to a robbery reported near the Shyam Nagar police outpost a fortnight ago.

On February 15, Mohammad Wasid, a resident of Yashoda Nagar, and Arshad, a resident of Jajmau, were allegedly assaulted by motorcycle-borne assailants who fled with their bag containing Rs 8 lakh in cash.

Following an investigation, police arrested four people -- Abdul Rehman, Shubhan Khan, Lareb Siddiqui and Mohammad Zeeshan -- in connection with the case on Thursday. A portion of the looted money was recovered from them.

Two others -- Mohammad Yaseen and Mujahid, both residents of Beckonganj -- were arrested in an encounter later in the day, a police official said.

According to Deputy Commissioner of Police (East) Satyajit Gupta, a police team was conducting routine vehicle checks at Ahirwan area late on Thursday night, when two men on a motorcycle attempted to flee when they were signalled to stop.

"While trying to escape, the suspects -- Yaseen and Mujahid -- opened fire on the police. Police retaliated, injuring both of them in the leg. The duo was overpowered and arrested," Gupta said.

The injured accused were admitted to Kanshiram hospital and will be produced before the court after treatment, Gupta said.

Police have recovered a country-made pistol, live cartridges and a motorcycle without a number plate from their possession, he added.

According to police, members of the organised gang had conducted reconnaissance for several days before robbing Wasid and Arshad. Two gang members allegedly tracked the movement of cash and passed information to accomplices, who carried out the robbery.

Police Commissioner Raghubir Lal said Wasid and Arshad did not disclose the robbery initially and reported it as an accident involving the collision of two bikes.

However, CCTV footage confirmed that a robbery had taken place, prompting the police to register an FIR and begin a parallel technical investigation.

In the course of this investigation, police uncovered suspected financial irregularities linked to a person identified as Mehfooz, a Jajmau resident who deals in scrap and leather business.

The robbery victims were acting as carriers transporting cash for him, Lal told PTI.

He said that nearly Rs 3.2 crore was withdrawn from a bank account on the day of the robbery, of which Wasid and Arshad were tasked to transport Rs 25 lakh.

"We have traced 14 bank accounts linked to Mehfooz, with transactions worth around Rs 850 crore routed through a single bank over the last two-and-a-half years. Examination of 68 accounts across 12 banks has indicated cash withdrawals to the tune of Rs 1,600 crore, raising suspicion of tax evasion and illegal financial activity," Lal said.

The movement of some suspects linked to this hawala network was traced to Delhi's Jama Masjid area, Kashmir and Nepal, suggesting an interstate syndicate, he said.

"We have decided to alert the Income Tax Department, GST authorities, Enforcement Directorate and the Reserve Bank of India for further investigation into the suspected hawala operations," Lal asserted.

He, however, clarified that the two men attacked during the robbery were only cash carriers and not part of the larger syndicate.

The police commissioner has announced a reward of Rs 1 lakh for the team that solved the case. Further investigation is underway. PTI COR NAV RUK RUK