Kolkata, Nov 17: The Special Task Force (STF) of the West Bengal Police on Monday seized cash amounting to Rs 5 crore from a car near Akanksha Crossing in New Town and arrested two persons, including the vehicle’s owner.

The seizure was made following a tip-off from a confidential source.

Two people, including the owner of the car, have been arrested in connection with the incident, police said, adding that an investigation is underway.

Police said that the money was being brought from the New Town area. Sources said Bengal STF is searching for the source of the money.

The recovery of such a large amount of money while checking the car has raised concerns, especially ahead of next year’s state Assembly polls.

According to police, the recovery of such huge cash has raised eyebrows, especially in the backdrop of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise of West Bengal’s electoral rolls by the Election Commission.

The police are investigating where this money came from, where it was being taken, and what the purpose was.

“Cash worth Rs 5 crore has been recovered from a car after conducting a raid. The cash has been seized. Two people have been arrested. An investigation has started to find out the source of the money,” said a police official.

Last week, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) recovered large sums from the residence of a businessman in the Taratala area during searches connected to the municipal recruitment scam.

Earlier this month, ED teams carried out raids at around 10 locations across the city, including Salt Lake and Beliaghata. ED sleuths searched the house of a businessman in the Taratala area in connection with the municipal recruitment corruption case.

Investigators recovered a huge amount of money from the house then too.

With the latest STF recovery, investigators are also examining whether any organised syndicate or corruption network is active in the region. Further questioning of the arrested duo is underway.

New Delhi, Nov 17: In a successful operation, a Delhi Police team arrested a bicycle thief and recovered 16 stolen bicycles, officials said on Monday.

During the investigation, more than 300 CCTV cameras from areas near the theft sites were examined, and local informers were activated. Both technical and manual intelligence inputs were collected to trace the culprits. The bicycle thief was previously involved in four criminal cases.

According to a statement released by the Dwarka South Police Station, the officers became more concerned after the recent rise in bicycle thefts in the Dwarka South area. Recognising that for many residents a bicycle is an essential possession, the police resolved to identify the offender and restore the stolen bicycles to their rightful owners.

A dedicated team was constituted by Inspector Rajesh Kumar Sah (SHO, Dwarka South), under the close supervision of ACP Dwarka, Kishor Kumar Rewala. The team included HC Sudhir Kumar (987/DW), HC Manoj Kumar (828/DW), HC Gaje Singh (1030/DW), HC Surender (764/DW), and Ct. Tushar Yadav (1803/DW).

On October 28, at around 7:00 p.m., HC Manoj received secret information that the thief would arrive near DDA Park or Bhains Wala Park within a few minutes. He immediately alerted the team, and the officers reached the location and laid a trap near Bhains Wala Park.

After some time, a man was spotted riding a bicycle from the direction of Ganpati Chowk towards Bhains Wala Park. His behaviour appeared suspicious, and the police signalled for him to stop. Instead of complying, he attempted to flee towards DDA Park, Dwarka Sector 7, abandoning the bicycle.

The team chased and apprehended him. Upon inspection, the bicycle matched the description of one reported stolen in e-FIR 80101951/2025, registered under Section 303(2) BNS at Dwarka South Police Station.

During interrogation, the accused confessed that he had stolen the bicycle from Ramphal Chowk Road, in front of Instyle Salon, Sector 7, Dwarka. He further revealed that he had stolen several other bicycles. Based on his disclosures, the police recovered 15 additional bicycles from different locations after sustained effort.

Chandigarh, Nov 17: The Haryana Police, under their recently launched ‘Operation Trackdown, have, in 11 days, arrested more than 3,000 criminals, said officials, adding that this has reinforced the state government’s firm commitment to ensure safety and dismantle organised crime syndicates.

According to a statement released by Haryana Police, the intensive operation, launched on November 5, has now completed its 11th day, further tightening the grip of law enforcement across the state and instilling fear among criminal elements. On the 11th day alone, police arrested 96 notorious offenders involved in various crimes. With this action, the total number of arrests made under Operation Trackdown has reached 3,172.

These arrests include 610 individuals involved in serious and heinous crimes, while the number of criminals arrested in other cases has risen to 2,562. Providing further details, IG Rakesh Arya stated that on November 15, police made eight arrests in seven murder cases and one attempt-to-murder case. Additionally, 29 arrests were made in 23 cases, and 27 criminals were apprehended in 22 cases registered under the Arms Act for illegal weapons possession. In total, 67 offenders were sent to jail in connection with 54 serious cases.

To intensify the crackdown, history sheets were opened for 19 accused individuals on November 15, bringing the total number of criminals with newly opened history sheets to 150. This growing figure underscores the Haryana Police’s dedication to eliminating crime and reflects the operation’s highly effective results in advancing the goal of making Haryana a crime-free state.

In a significant development under the ongoing campaign, Karnal Police arrested four notorious criminals involved in cases of snatching and firing. Acting on the instructions of the Haryana Director General of Police, Karnal Police recorded two major achievements as part of Operation Trackdown, a special initiative aimed at curbing organised crime across the state. By demonstrating promptness, vigilance, and proactive strategy, the district police strengthened law and order through the arrest of four wanted criminals implicated in serious offences.

The first major action pertained to a robbery and snatching incident. On November 13, the accused and his accomplices robbed the complainant, Kamaljeet, who was walking along the canal bank toward the village of Kalri Nanhera. A case (number 650) was registered at Indri Police Station. Acting swiftly, a team led by Sub-Inspector Sumit Kumar, under the supervision of Inspector Vipin Kumar, Station House Officer of Indri, apprehended the accused, Yogesh, son of Dan Singh, a resident of Nauratha, Indri, Karnal.

It was reported that Yogesh is a hardened and highly skilled criminal. Besides the robbery case, he faces eight additional cases registered at Indri Police Station under various serious sections, including theft and offences related to the Arms Act. After extensive interrogation, Yogesh was produced before the court and subsequently remanded to judicial custody in the district jail.

Karnal Police also achieved another breakthrough in the CNG petrol pump firing case. Under the guidance of the Superintendent of Police, Karnal, and through continuous surveillance under Operation Trackdown, a team from Gharaunda Police Station, acting on credible information, arrested three wanted accused. These individuals had created panic by firing indiscriminately following a minor altercation with a CNG pump employee in Gharaunda on the night of October 13, before fleeing the scene.

The arrested individuals were identified as Jitendra, son of Satpal (Panipat); Sachin alias Ricky, son of Harish Bhardwaj (Shivah, Panipat); and Deepak, son of Karamveer (Jatal, Panipat). A case was registered against them under Section 109(1) of the IPC and relevant provisions of the Arms Act in case number 624 at Gharaunda Police Station. All three were taken on production warrants for detailed interrogation.

The main accused, Jitendra, already has four serious cases registered against him, including attempt to murder, rioting, and fraud. After interrogation, all three accused were produced before the court once again and sent to the district jail.