By The News Observer Desk,
Bhatkal (Uttara Kannada): Bhatkal police on Tuesday evening intercepted a massive haul of undocumented cash and gold worth lakhs of rupees being transported in a blue suitcase via a private bus from Mumbai to Mangaluru, leading to the arrest of two local men on Tuesday.
Acting on precise intelligence, a team led by Circle Police Inspector (CPI) Divakar from Bhatkal Town Police Station set up a checkpoint near Shamsuddin Circle in the heart of the coastal town. The target: a private bus en route from Mumbai that had stopped briefly in Bhatkal.
Sources revealed that an anonymous individual in Mumbai had handed over the distinctive blue suitcase to the bus crew with explicit instructions—it was to be collected in Bhatkal by a man named Irfan. No paperwork, no questions asked.
When officers opened the locked suitcase in the presence of the bus staff, they uncovered:
- ₹49,98,400 in cash bundled in various denominations
- 32 gold bangles weighing 401.04 grams
- A mobile phone and a pen drive
The sheer volume of unaccounted wealth triggered immediate action. Within hours, police rounded up two suspects identified as Baba Nand from Bhatkal Port Road and Mohammad Irfan from Usman Nagar—both allegedly linked to the pickup operation.
A case has been registered under the IT Act, with authorities suspecting the cash and gold may be proceeds of illicit online transactions or hawala networks. The seized mobile phone and pen drive are being forensically examined for digital trails.
"Further investigation is underway to trace the Mumbai sender and any larger syndicate involved," police sources said, adding that the bus driver and cleaner are being questioned as witnesses.
The dramatic roadside seizure has sent shockwaves through Bhatkal’s trading community, with many speculating about the suitcase’s ultimate destination in Mangaluru. Police have sealed the evidence and are coordinating with Mumbai counterparts to unravel the money trail.
(Reporting by Saikiran Babrekar)
