Gold, cash worth Rs 52 cr found in abandoned SUV in Bhopal
Bhopal, Dec 20: The Income Tax department and police have seized 52 kg of gold bars worth Rs 40 crore and more than Rs 11 crore in cash from an abandoned SUV in Madhya Pradesh's Bhopal, an official said on Friday.
The seizure comes amid ongoing action by the I-T department in the city over the last few days.
The authorities received a tip-off on Thursday night that the vehicle was standing unclaimed on Kushalpura Road with bags kept inside it, the official said.
Talking to PTI, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Priyanka Shukla said, "A person informed Ratibad police station that an Innova Crysta was standing unclaimed on the Kushalpura road for a long time and about seven to eight bags were inside the vehicle, following which a police team reached the spot."
She said someone is suspected to have left the bags of gold and cash behind amid ongoing action by some departments in the city in the last few days.
"We informed the I-T department, and they broke the SUV's windows and seized 52 kg gold bars and a huge amount of cash from it," DCP said.
She said the SUV had the registration number from the MP-07 series and belonged to Chandan Singh Gaur, a native of Gwalior living in Bhopal for four years.
The I-T department is conducting a probe, the official said.
Director General Income Tax (Investigation) Satish K Goyal told PTI that acting on a tip-off that an unclaimed car was parked in the forest area, I-T officials searched the vehicle and recovered 52 kg gold bars worth Rs 40 crore and more than Rs 11 crore cash from it.
He said the total seizure was valued at Rs 52 crore.
"It is not yet clear to whom this cash and gold belongs, and we are investigating the matter further," Goyal said.
According to sources, the I-T department has been conducting raids against a few individuals associated with the real estate sector in Bhopal since Thursday, and it is suspected that the valuables belong to persons against whom action is being taken.
Leader of Opposition in the Madhya Pradesh Assembly, Umang Singhar, alleged the seized gold and other matters coming out in raids were the result of a nexus between politicians and bureaucrats.
#WATCH | Madhya Pradesh | Visual of the car from which the Bhopal Police and Income Tax seized 52 kg of gold and bundles of money
— ANI (@ANI) December 20, 2024
The car was found abandoned in the jungle of Mendori in the Ratibad area. Police and Income Tax are trying to find out who left the money and gold… https://t.co/ZgT17Ubcce pic.twitter.com/fqhhzMSJMJ
#WATCH | Madhya Pradesh | In a joint action by Bhopal Police and Income Tax, 52 kg of gold and bundles of money were found in an abandoned car in Bhopal during an IT raid. The car was found abandoned in the jungle of Mendori in the Ratibad area. Police and Income Tax are trying… pic.twitter.com/7KOoJ4AZBJ
— ANI (@ANI) December 20, 2024
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UP: Tehsildar's vehicle hits biker, drags body for 30 km
Bahraich(UP), Dec 20: A government vehicle belonging to the tehsildar of Nanpara hit a biker and allegedly dragged his body for 30 kilometers.
The victim, identified as Narendra Kumar Haldar (35), a resident of Payagpur, was returning home when the accident occurred on the Nanpara-Bahraich road on Thursday evening. According to police, Haldar's body got entangled in the vehicle and was dragged for the entire distance, reaching the Nanpara Tehsil.
Naib Tehsildar Shailesh Kumar Awasthi, who is believed to be present in the vehicle at the time of the accident, has been recommended for suspension by District Magistrate Monika Rani. The vehicle's driver, Meraj Ahmed, has been arrested. Superintendent of Police Vrinda Shukla confirmed the incident and said, "It was confirmed that the body was dragged for 30 kilometers to Nanpara when the locations of the deceased Narendra Haldar and the tehsildar's driver Meraj Ahmed were tracked at the time of the accident."
Stating that the incident was a "big negligence", the officer added, "It is very unlikely that a body was stuck in the vehicle for 30 kilometers and no one came to know about it. It is possible that the vehicle was not stopped due to fear."
The officer said that a thorough investigation is underway to determine the exact circumstances of the accident. "Police are examining CCTV footage along the 30-kilometer route to reconstruct the sequence of events," said the SP.
In the police complaint lodge regarding the matter, the family members of the deceased have mentioned the vehicle of the tehsildar, police said.
District Magistrate Monika Rani said, "The matter of a car colliding with a bike came to notice. The Naib Tehsildar of Nanpara had come to Bahraich in the Tehsildar's car for some work and was returning to Nanpara. It has been learnt that a dead body got stuck with his car that drove till Nanpara Tehsil. According to the naib tehsildar, he was not aware of it. A recommendation has been made to suspend the naib tehsildar who was in the car."
