Bengaluru: The police on Tuesday arrested a sub-inspector, four constables and two others for robbing a businessman of Rs. 16 lakh in November.
The police identified the arrested persons as Sub-inspector Mallikarjun and constables Manjunath, Girish, Chandrashekar and Anantharaju are attached to Kalasipalaya police station. The police have also arrested two others Jaffar and Bhaskar for being a part of the racket.
According to the police, on November 22, Gangadhar, a businessman from Kunigal, had come to Bengaluru to exchange scrapped notes through an agent. He had nearly Rs. 20 lakh in demonetised Rs. 500 and Rs. 1,000 notes. He had planned to exchange the cash in the black market for a commission of 30 per cent, said the Peenya police. Investigators are trying to track the agents who organised the exchange.
After the exchange, Gangadhar was heading towards a house in Peenya with Rs. 16 lakh in valid currency. On the way, he was accosted by seven men who claimed to be policemen. They demanded to know the source of the money. When Gangadhar did not answer, the men threatened to book him.
However, they offered to let him off if he handed over the money to them. Gangadhar handed over the money for fear of being arrested.
He later changed his mind. On December 4, he filed a complaint at Peenya Police Station. A special team tracked down the seven persons, which eventually led to the arrest of PSI Mallikarjuna.
The five cops have been suspended. They have been booked for robbery and also under various sections of the Indian Penal Code. They have been remanded in judicial custody.
