BENGALURU: The special court for CBI and ED cases in Bengaluru has sentenced 11 accused to undergo six years of rigorous imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs 65,000 each for involving in dacoity to loot money containing new currency notes of Rs 2,000, from gullible people were proved.
Judge H A Mohan pronounced the verdict imposing sentence and a total of Rs 7.15 lakh fine on all the accused, besides directing the state government to confiscate Rs 54.11 lakh seized in connection with the crime registered at Kirugavalu police station in Malavalli taluk of Mandya district.
The culprits were identified as Dilip, Ananda D B, Rajesh D M, Ananda, Umesh R K, Channakeshava C, Chaluvarajulu C S, Mahadevaswamy D R, Purushothama D R, Ramalinga and Babu D G, all are native of Ramanduru village in T Narasipura taluk of Kirugavalu Hobli.
In respect of the seized money, the court noted that the witnesses, and victims are equally responsible for the crime, even though the complaint was not lodged against them, as they also tried to defeat the very decision taken by the central government to curb the black money. Therefore, they are not entitled to get back the amount they lost, said the court.
After the demonetisation of Rs 1,000 and Rs 500 notes in 2016, the accused persons collected demonetised currency notes of Rs 1,000 and prepared wads of Rs 1,000 notes, which were kept in a box as if they were original to make the gullible people believe that there were demonetised currency notes.They even promised victims that they would pay 20 per cent of demonetised currency if new currency notes were given to them.
One of the accused took Rs 67 lakh from a victim, containing new currency notes of Rs 2,000, in a motorcycle and dropped them near the car where the other accused was waiting on the pretext of giving old currency.
They took away witnesses in the car which reached near Ramanduru in Kirugavalu police station. The other accused persons who were waiting there thrown eggs on the front glass, and chilly powder at the passengers and snatched away the bag containing new currency.