Cops seize Rs 3.35 crores cash from car in Banjara Hills, 4 hawala delivery agents held

Hyderabad: The Commissioner’s Task Force North Zone officials and the Banjara Hills police seized unaccountable cash of Rs 3.35 crores from a four-wheeler while checking vehicles on Tuesday.

The incident occurred at the TV-9 office signal junction at Road No 3 in Banjara Hills.

The officials arrested four persons in connection with the seizure of the cash. The accused have been identified as Chimpireddy Hanumantha Reddy (48), Bachala Prabhakar (52), Mandala Sriramulu Reddy (41), and Mandala Uday Kumar Reddy (23).

Modus operandi

According to the police, Hanumantha Reddy, a private company employee, told the police that he and his three associates collect hawala money and deliver it to various places in twin cities. He told the police that in order to manage the hawala transactions, they opened an office a year ago in plot no 583, Sai Krupa Building, Aurora Colony in Banjara Hills.

Their work would consist of Prabhakar getting orders from customers for hawala amounts. On his directions, Hanumantha Reddy, Sriramulu Reddy and Uday Kumar Reddy would collect and distribute the hawala amount as per the customer requirements.

For delivering every Rs 1 crore of hawala money, they would charge Rs 25,000 as commission.

On Tuesday, on Prabhakar’s orders, Hanumantha Reddy, along with others, were delivering the hawala amount they picked up from Begum Bazaar, Nampally, Goshamahal and Jubilee Hills. While taking the collected hawala cash to their office in Aurora Colony, Banjara Hills in vehicle number TS-09 GB 4488 (Kia car), they were intercepted by the police at the traffic signal at the TV-9 office.

A quick search of the vehicle yielded unaccountable cash up to Rs 3.35 crores. A counting machine and the car used for transportation were also seized by the police. A case has been registered and the investigation is on.

The police have intensified vehicle checks in the city after the election commission implemented the Model Cold of Conduct in Telangana and other five poll-bound states on Monday. On the same day, Abids police seized 7 kg of gold biscuits and 295 kg of silver from a vehicle near Nizam College.