The curious case of a stalled auto, a missing driver and Rs 6.75 cr

An apparent breakdown of an autorickshaw right in front of the Andhra Pradesh DGP's office Wednesday evening sent a buzz through the Hyderabad police after the contents of the several large bags in the vehicle were revealed — Rs 1,000 and Rs 500 currency notes, adding up to Rs 6 crore, 75 lakh and 50 thousand.

The driver of the auto is untraceable, but the driver of another auto that he hailed before disappearing is now in police custody.

This second driver appeared to have no clue about the money, police sources said — adding that the police were investigating whether the vehicle with the cash indeed broke down or whether the driver stopped after he panicked.

"He may have been initially tempted by the money offered to him to ferry the bundles to some location. But when he reached the DGP's office, he either lost his nerve, or suspected that the bags contained some illegal cargo or bombs, and he stopped the vehicle in front of the DGP's office," an officer said.

"He probably pretended to seek help from a passing autorickshaw driver, and was in the process of shifting one bag to the other vehicle when policemen at the spot got suspicious. As soon as the security personnel outside the AP Police headquaters moved towards him, he abandoned the vehicle and fled," he added.

Currency straps on some of the bundles of cash indicated they had originated from the State Bank of Mysore, sources said. Police have informed the income-tax department.

Deputy Commissioner of Police Dr Tarun Joshi said, "It was a CNG-run autorickshaw. The driver asked the other driver to take the bags to Hi-Tech City, and started to shift them. As the vehicles were holding up traffic, a traffic policeman yelled at the drivers, which drew the attention of the security guards at the DGP office. They confronted the drivers, but in the melee the first suspect escaped."

... contd.

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