Hyderabad: Rs 3.35 crore unaccounted money seized in Banjara Hills

HYDERABAD: The Commissioner's Task Force North Zone and Banjara Hills police on Tuesday arrested four persons and seized unaccounted cash of Rs 3.35 crore during a vehicle check at Road No.3, Banjara Hills. The police also seized a cash counting machine and a car.

The four arrested were identified as Chimpireddy Hanumantha Reddy, Bachala Prabhakar, Mandala Sriramulu Reddy, and Mandala Uday Kumar Reddy.

Disclosing the details before media at Banjara Hills police station here, Hyderabad West zone Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), Joel Davis said that sleuths of the Commissioner’s Task Force North Zone along with Banjara Hills police stopped a car (TS-09 GB 4488) at TV-9 signal junction, Road No.3, Banjara Hills and found cash in the vehicle.

The DCP said that one of the occupants of the car, Hanumantha Reddy disclosed that he works at a private firm. He, along with three other people used to collect Hawala amounts and deliver them to various places in the twin cities. For dealing with Hawala transactions, they also opened an office at Plot No.583, Sai Krupa Building, Aurora Colony, Banjara Hills one year ago, he said.

Explaining the modus operandi of the arrested people, he said that Prabhakar received orders from customers for Hawala amounts. Based on his directions, Hanumantha Reddy, Sriramulu Reddy and Uday Kumar Reddy collected and distributed the Hawala amount as per customer requirements, he added.

Joel Davis also said that the arrested persons charged Rs 25,000 as commission to deliver Rs 1 crore Hawala amount. On Tuesday, Hanumantha Reddy along with other people collected Hawala amounts from Begumbazar, Nampally, Goshamahal and Jubilee Hills before they were caught by the police at Banjara Hills, he said.

At Asifnagar, the police also seized Rs 6 lakh from a person identified as Asafaq during a vehicle check at Miraj x roads. Upon inquiry, he failed to provide any relevant documents in support of the source of the cash. Therefore, the amount was seized and produced before the Returning Officer of Nampally constituency.