KOCHI: Police on Saturday seized unaccounted money worth Rs 2.7 crore from an autorickshaw parked near Kannengatt Bridge, Willingdon Island, Kochi. The autorickshaw driver and a migrant labourer who was present in the vehicle were taken into custody.
The apprehended are Sabish Ahammad, 25, of Bihar, who is an employee of a garment shop on Broadway, and Rajagopal, 40, of Tamil Nadu, residing in Kadavanthra. The cash allegedly belongs to the garment shop owner.
According to police, the autorickshaw had been parked on the walkway for over an hour. A police team from the Harbour Station which was patrolling the area grew suspicious and searched the vehicle.
Three large shopping bags filled with cash were found during the search. Soon, the owner of the garment company residing in Elamakkara arrived at the place. He claimed that the cash belonged to him and was meant to be handed over to a middleman for a property transaction. However, the police did not accept the explanation at face value.
Bank officials were called to the spot to count and verify the seized cash, and Income Tax officials were also informed about the incident. Police officials said that the cash would be handed over to Income Tax officers for taking further action.