BENGALURU: FOUR persons, including a head constable previously attached to the district crime Intelligence Bureau, a small-time film producer and a teacher, have been arrested while they were trying to exchange demonetised Turkish Lira worth Rs 71 crore with Indian currency worth Rs 27 lakh.
Marathahalli police on Tuesday arrested Nagaraju (40), head constable with Chitradurga district police, Shivaraju (50), government primary school teacher in Chitradurga district, Murali (40), a resident of Mattikere and a film producer, and Aravind (40), a realtor in Davangere. Police are on the look out for Chenna Reddy, a realtor from Andhra Pradesh.
According to the police, a man called Shakir was contacted by a person in Chitradurga over phone. The unknown person would call and tell Shakir that he has huge amount of high-value Lira which can be converted into crores of rupees. When Shakir showed an interest, they decided to meet on Tuesday. It was then that Nagaraju came into the picture. To convince Shakir, he brought a Lira note and showed it to him. But Shakir smelled a rat and, on the same day, informed his business partner Chellaiahswamy who filed a police complaint.
Police then decided to lay a trap and instructed Shakir to ask Nagaraju to come at Marathahalli on Tuesday evening to exchange the notes. The exchange was to take place at the parking lot of Innovative multiplex
At 8.45 pm, Nagaraju and his associates came in an Alto car and called Shakir over phone. A team of policemen went along with Shakir disguised as his friends. Police also cordoned off the area.
Shakir then met Nagaraj who asked him about the Rs 27 lakh. But, when the policemen started to close in, Nagaraj panicked and tried to shoot with his service revolver. However, police managed to nab him and his associates. Police said, “During his stint in the District Crime Intelligence Bureau, he was given a service revolver, which he had not returned after his transfer, which is illegal.”
Police have seized scrapped 78 notes of Turkish Lira in denomination of 5 lakh which is worth Rs 71.29 crore in Indian currency.