Lonavla rural police confiscate cash worth Rs 4 crore from car

The Lonavla rural police have confiscated cash worth Rs 4 crore from a car enroute to Sangli from Mumbai on the Mumbai-Pune expressway on March 28. The police have informed the Income Tax (IT) department after the inmates told the police that the cash belonged to a bullion trader.

The rural police had received confidential information about illegal movement of weapons and cash in a car on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway. The Lonavala Rural Police Station was alerted and assigned the task to intercept the car and verify the information received.

Investigators were informed that around 6 pm, a suspicious car was spotted on the highway. The police patrol team intercepted the Maruti Swift car with the Karnataka registration number as it did not stop despite being signaled by the policemen.

The occupants of the car have been identified as Mahesh Nana Mane, a resident of Vita, Sangli who was driving the car and Vikas Sambhaji Ghadge, a resident of Shetphal, Sangli. Both could not satisfactorily answer about the huge cash and were detained.

Lonavla Rural Police Inspector Pravin More said, “ Currently investigation is progress to get information about the huge cash and we are trying to find out for what purpose such a large amount of cash was being ferried . The matter is being investigated and the Pune Income Tax Department has been informed. Further action will be taken by the Income Tax Department. The cash will not be released till further orders from the IT department ,” he claimed.

Pune Rural SP Abhinav Deshmukh said “ We had received an input that cash and weapons were being transported in a car. Accordingly, we carried out a nakabandi, intercepted the car and found the cash concealed in one section of the car. Further investigation is on in the case ,” he said.