Gujarat: Scrapped notes of Rs 4.76 crore face value seized, 2 held

Demonetised currency notes with the face value of Rs 4.76 crore were recovered in Godhra town of Gujarat and two persons were held in this connection, police said on Wednesday. The duo was apprehended following a raid conducted by the Special Operations Group (SOG) of Godhra police on Tuesday night, a statement issued by the state Anti Terrorist Squad (ATS) said. The ATS had given a tip-off about it.

During the raid, the police nabbed Zuber Hayat and Farookh Chhota. However, key accused, Idrish Hayat, managed to escape during the operation, it said. Based on a specific tip-off that some persons were involved in illegal transactions of scrapped notes, the Godhra SOG first raided a place near Med Circle and recovered five bundles of such notes of Rs 1,000 denomination from Chhota, it said.

After his interrogation, the SOG team reached Dhantya Plot area of Godhra and found several bundles of old currency notes hidden in a car and a house owned by Idrish Hayat and his son Zuber. While Idrish managed to flee from the spot, his son was nabbed by the police, the ATS said. Police have collectively recovered 9,312 notes of Rs 1,000 and 76,739 notes of Rs 500 denomination, with the total face value of Rs 4,76,81,500.

"Idrish Hayat is already facing similar charges and he is absconding since the last two years in a previous case. The Godhra SOG will conduct further probe about what the accused planned to do with these notes, which were scrapped by the government in 2016," Panchmahal Superintendent of Police, Leena Patil, said.