Demonetized notes worth 75L seized

Surat: Police detained four persons with demonetised currency notes with a face of value Rs 75 lakh at Bhimpore village in the city limits on Saturday. One of the accused is a head constable in the CRPF and posted in Ahmedabad. The recovery of the scrapped notes eight years after the demonetisation has surprised police.
Police detained Naresh Patel (58), a property broker and resident of Bhimpore; Vinit Desai (38), a property broker and resident of Magdalla Y junction; Mohammad Sadiq Safi Shaikh (42), a property broker and resident of Nanpura; and Manish Rajput (36), a resident of Nani Chovisi in Navsari.Preliminary police investigation revealed that Rajput is a head constable in the CRPF.
Acting on a tip-off, police raided the residence of Patel in Bhimpore and recovered the demonetised currency notes — 1,400 notes of Rs 500 denomination and 500 notes of Rs 1,000 denomination. Police registered a non-cognizable offence at Dumas police station and started investigation.
Police will seek approval from the court for further actions in the case.
“We are verifying what Rajput was doing there. He has claimed that his residential address is in Navsari. After recovery of an identity card from him, he confirmed to police that he is in the CRPF,” said a police officer.
Police are yet to confirm from where the accused brought the scrapped notes and what they were planning to do with them.
“The exact role of each accused is not yet clear but they had assembled at the place to make quick money with the demonetised notes. Investigation is continuing to find out from where they got these notes,” said police.
Police sources said that the notes were given to the accused by some people working at a temple. “To question the accused, police need court approval. Why they chose a house in Bhimpore to keep the notes is also a mystery,” said police.