Crime
₹400-Cr Demonetised Cash Heist Cover-Up? Complainant Alleges Political ‘Fixing’ In SIT Probe
Mumbai: The probe into the alleged Rs 400-crore demonetised currency heist at Chorla Ghat near the Maharashtra–Karnataka border has entered a volatile phase after complainant Sandeep Patil alleged that the investigation was being ‘manipulated under political pressure.’ Patil told media on Tuesday that certain officers are attempting to alter the course of the probe to facilitate a high-level cover-up.
He further alleged that the focus of the agency has shifted from recovering the massive cache of stolen currency to an all-out attempt to silence him, claiming he has been threatened by senior officers and warned not to disclose sensitive details discussed prior to the registration of the formal complaint.
Patil alleged that the officers concerned were fully aware of the Rs 400-crore cash movement and had conducted detailed inquiries, including recording statements of the accused, nearly 20 days before a formal FIR was registered in Nashik. He further claimed that vested interests were now attempting to suggest that the alleged heist never occurred; a move, he alleged, was aimed at protecting certain influential beneficiaries.
Revealing what he described as an unofficial probe into the alleged heist by Nashik police prior to his formal complaint, Patil accused Local Crime Branch (LCB) inspector Ravindra Magar, a member of the SIT, of pressuring and warning him not to disclose details of a crucial meeting held on December 19 last year.
This meeting, which took place almost three weeks before the formal case was filed, was reportedly attended by Patil, Inspector Magar, and an accused named Jayesh Kadam. During this session, Kadam allegedly disclosed details regarding the cash movement, including specific container numbers, the mechanics of the heist, the role of a prominent hawala operator, and a suspected political funding angle. Patil alleged that electronic evidence related to these discussions had been shared by Kadam with Magar well before the case was officially on the record, making the current denials a matter of deep suspicion.
According to Patil, he is now being pressured not to reveal details of the meeting, while the SIT is accepting revised statements from the accused that contradict earlier versions on which the FIR was based, and is attempting to project that the alleged Rs 400-crore heist never occurred. Magar however denied the allegation and said the matter is under Additional SP supervision.
To support his allegations, Patil claimed that the same set of officers who had unofficially probed the matter on the instructions of senior officials for nearly two months prior to the filing of his complaint are now officially investigating the case as part of the SIT, which was constituted by Nashik Rural Superintendent of Police Balasaheb Patil.
Senior officials familiar with the probe said that Patil’s allegations align with statements made by arrested accused Jayesh Kadam during police custody. Kadam has categorically denied having given the statement attributed to him prior to the registration of the FIR and has alleged that the signatures on that statement were forged. The disputed statement formed the basis of the FIR registered at Ghoti police station in Nashik Gramin.
Sources said during custodial interrogation by the same SIT officers who had earlier recorded his statement, Kadam has now claimed that no Rs 400-crore heist occurred and that the matter involved cheating and forgery amounting to Rs 35 crore. The alleged transaction has been linked to absconding accused Thane-based builder Kishor Sawala and Virat Gandhi, a hawala operator based in Ahmedabad.
However, audio and video evidence, shared by the complaint with the SIT via a pendrive and recovered from Jayesh Kadam, clearly shows that Kadam’s statement does not match the evidence.
Responding to the allegations, SIT chief and Additional Superintendent of Police (Nashik Rural) Aditya Mirkhelkar told media that the investigation is currently based solely on the statements of the four accused in custody. “They claim they acted on behalf of a Thane-based builder but have not seen any cash. Whatever they are stating is based only on what they were told,” he said, adding that discrepancies, concealment and possibly misleading statements were part of the ongoing probe.
Mirkhelkar added that the alleged heist could only be conclusively verified after the arrest and examination of the two absconding accused, Sawala and Gandhi, whose versions would determine whether the Rs 400-crore cash movement actually occurred. He did not respond specifically to queries regarding Kadam’s change in statement.
Patil further revealed that the disputed statements of accused Jayesh Kadam were linked to a December 19 meeting last year, when LCB PI Ravindra Magar and Dattaji Shinde, both now part of the SIT, allegedly called Patil and Kadam to the LCB office. This was reportedly the first meeting after Kadam’s original statement had been recorded. According to Patil, during the meeting, Kadam told Magar in his presence that that the case involved a sum much larger than Rs 400 crore in demonetised currency, allegedly linked to a political party and a Gujarat-based ashram.
Kadam claimed that builder Kishor Sawala executed the transaction on behalf of a politician, while hawala operator Virat Gandhi handled consignments for the ashram. Gandhi reportedly demanded a Rs 150-crore security deposit for the ashram, to be returned after the transaction. Two consignments, worth Rs 150 crore and Rs 250 crore, were allegedly transported from an undisclosed Karnataka location to the Ahmedabad-based ashram but were stolen at Chorla Ghat, at the tri-junction of Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Goa. Kadam is said to have shared photographs of the consignments with Magar and identified Gandhi as a key participant.
According to Patil, two officers employed various tactics to pressure him into not filing the FIR. Even after the matter came under SIT jurisdiction, he alleged that the same officers continued threatening him and attempting to mislead the investigation.
Crime
Mumbai Cyber fraud in the name of online gaming, cricket betting and casino busted, five women also involved in interstate racket, transactions worth over Rs 25 crore

The Mumbai police have busted a gang involved in cyber crime cases, which was involved in fraud through multiple apps, including a gaming app.The Dongri police had registered a case under sections 319(4), 317, 3(5) of the Indian Penal Code, 2023 and sections 66(k), 66(d) of the Information Technology Act, 2000. The investigation, carried out under a plan based on reliable and confidential information received by the Dongri Police Station Cyber Team, has uncovered an organised network providing mule bank accounts for cyber fraud.
During the investigation, it was revealed that bank accounts were opened in the names of the victims of financial fraud by luring them with profit and the passbooks, debit cards, cheque books, SIM cards, etc. of these accounts were taken into their possession and used for financial transactions of cyber fraud. The scope of the investigation was also expanded to Govindi, Mankhurd, Dongri areas of Mumbai as well as Belapur, Panvel and Osmanabad in Navi Mumbai.
Based on confidential information, a total of 03 accused were arrested during the investigation, who were identified as Nikhil Kamal Kumar Jaswani, age 28, Papriya, Hoshangabad district, Madhya Pradesh, Rahul Shyamalal Parwani, age 32, Madhya Pradesh, Jay Biharilal Tirthani, age 26, Katni, Madhya Pradesh. Apart from this, a total of 05 wanted accused have been found in the investigation so far and Their search is on. Among them, 03 women have been issued notices under Section 35(3) of the Bharatiya Naya Samhita.
Their names are Jyoti Patil Jaya Donge Nisha Donge, residents of Lallubhai Compound, Mankhurd. During the investigation, 42 bank passbooks, 70 debit cards, 36 SIM cards, 23 mobile phones, 03 laptops, 09 tabs, 12 bank kits, 01 motor car have been seized from the arrested accused so far. A total of approximately ₹40 lakh worth of property has been seized. Technical analysis of the information contained in the seized digital devices is being done, which is likely to reveal more individuals and transactions related to this network. 28 cyber crimes/complaints revealed from 17 bank accounts out of the total 990 bank accounts seized during the investigation. So far, information of 17 bank accounts out of the 990 bank accounts seized has been obtained from the respective banks.
After investigating the financial transactions in these accounts, available technical information and cyber crimes/complaints registered in various states, it was found that 28 cyber crime suspects registered in various states across the country are associated with these accounts. Investigation of the remaining accounts is likely to reveal more crimes, suspicious financial transactions and networks of related individuals.
The following cyber crimes are also registered against them in several states including
1) Maharashtra-02, including Nairopolis Police Station, Thane District-01, Khadeshwar Police Station, Thane, Navi Mumbai-09
2) Karnataka-09
3) Telangana-06
4) Delhi-02
5) Madhya Pradesh-02
6) Uttar Pradesh-05
7) Kerala-02
8) Tamil Nadu-02
9) Gujarat-02
10) Jammu and Kashmir-01
11) West Bengal-03 Due to this, the investigation of this crime registered in Dongri Police Station has not been limited to Mumbai only but has reached various states of the country.
Financial transactions worth Rs 254.9 crore
According to initial information, financial transactions worth about Rs 254.9 crore have taken place in the 17 bank accounts concerned in a period of one and a half to two months. An in-depth financial investigation is underway to ascertain the source of the money, direction of the transaction, beneficiary accounts, related persons and its link to cybercrimes. Effective action by Dongri Cyber Team against cyber criminals With an effective combination of intelligence gathering, technical investigation, tracing of bank transactions, analysis of digital evidence and direct action, Dongri Cyber Team has taken effective action against an international network misusing mobile bank accounts for cyber fraud. This action has helped significantly in tracing the chain of financial transactions in cyber fraud and exposing the interrelationship of related crimes in different parts of the country.
Important appeal to citizens; Citizens should not give their bank account, passbook, debit card, cheque book, SIM card, mobile phone, OTP, PIN or internet banking information to others for use by anyone. If you notice suspicious transactions in your bank account, immediately contact the concerned bank and inform the police. This information was given by Mumbai DCP Manish Kalwane at a press conference held in Dongri today. This operation was carried out by ACP Tanveer Sheikh and Dongri Senior Police Inspector under the guidance of Mumbai Police Commissioner Devin Bharti.
Crime
Mumbai: Bank manager arrested for defrauding NRI elderly citizen by stealing gold from bank locker in Kandivali area

The police have claimed to have arrested a bank manager who stole gold from a NRI bank in Mumbai’s Kandivali area. According to details, on August 12, 2026, Pradeep Motiram Bhatia, age 74 years, profession retired, address: Flat No. 512, Oha Metha Road, Dubai. 602 Jyoti Park, Ambawadi, Kandivali (West), Mumbai in India filed a complaint at Kandivali Police Station. The details of the complaint are that the complainant has been residing in Dubai with his family for the last 52 years.
On 22nd March 2024 at 3:00 PM, the complainant had deposited various gold ornaments weighing 610 grams and worth ₹81,80,000/- in a locker at IndusInd Bank, MG Road, Kandivali (West), Mumbai, for safekeeping and returned to Dubai. After about 2 years, Bhatia came to the bank to collect his ornaments. At that time, he found that all the ornaments had been removed from his locker. In this regard, a case was registered at Kandivali Police Station under Section 316(5) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) No. 1095/2026.
Since the offence had been committed for about 2 years, there were difficulties in obtaining CCTV footage and other technical investigation. Information was taken about the bank staff at that time and the procedure for allotment of lockers. The bank account details of the then Assistant Branch Manager of IndusInd Bank, Kuldeep Ramchand Sahani, aged 35, Room No. 1389, Santosh Nagar, Shri Krishna Nagar, Goregaon East, near Gurukul School, Mumbai, were obtained. In this, financial transactions worth Rs. 9 crore were found in his bank account in about 2 years. These included large-scale transactions with gold-broking companies.
After checking all his transactions, he obtained photographs of the gold ornaments mortgaged from the mortgage companies and got the complainant to confirm. When it was proved that these ornaments belonged to him, the accused was immediately arrested and the fraud committed against the complainant was exposed by confiscating 610 grams of gold weighing 610 grams and worth ₹81,80,000/- from the complainant’s belongings within 4 days. This was informed by DCP Sandeep Goge in a press conference today.
Crime
Kolkata building fire: Leaseholder of one of nine hotels arrested, two detained

Kolkata: The Special Investigation Team (SIT) of Kolkata Police probing the fire incident at a multi-storey building on Mirza Ghalib Street in Central Kolkata, which claimed nine lives, has arrested one person, said officials on Thursday.
Each floor of the said building had separate hotels or guesthouses, and the source of the fire was one such hotel, “Shikha Inn”. The person arrested by the city police this morning has been identified as Abu Zafar, who had taken the hotel on lease from the original owner, Bireshwar Mitra.
Zafar was arrested from his residence in Jorasanko, North Kolkata. He will be presented at a city court later in the day, and the public prosecutor will seek his police custody.
Mitra, the original owner of the hotel, is still absconding. Besides arresting Zafra, the members of the SIT have detained two other persons, reportedly staff of the hotel, for questioning. However, the city police are yet to disclose their identities.
The State Fire Services Department has issued show-cause notices to nine other hotels and four restaurants on Mirza Ghalib Street for non-compliance with safety regulations. They have been asked to respond within the next 24 hours.
The five-storey building on Mirza Ghalib Street housed multiple hotels and guesthouses, with each having shacks. Hotel ‘Shikha Inn’ was on the third floor of the same building, covering an area of 1,100 square feet.
There had been numerous allegations of irregularities at this hotel. The hotel caught fire late Tuesday night. Nine people lost their lives in the fire.
The West Bengal government has announced a detailed special audit of all hotels, lodges and guesthouses in the Mirza Ghalib Street area following the incident.
The New Market Police Station, under whose jurisdiction the building falls, has registered a suo motu case. The State Fire Services Department has also lodged a separate complaint.
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