E-Paper
Embezzlement of bank funds: Police recover ₹4.6 crore stashed away in pit, field
The recoveries were made after the interrogation of two key accused in the case, Rocky Malik and Gaurav Tomar
Prefer HTon Google
Even as police continued their investigation in the embezzlement of a bank’s funds worth ₹5.26 crore, Baghpat police, as of Monday, have recovered over ₹4.6 crore of the total amount.
The recoveries were made after the interrogation of two key accused in the case, Rocky Malik and Gaurav Tomar. Rocky and Gaurav, who were booked on March 4 for siphoning off the funds meant for ATM deposits, were brought to Baghpat from a jail in Chandigarh on ‘B’ warrant.
During their custody remand, the accused revealed the locations of the buried cash: while Gaurav hid his share in a pit inside his house in Arifpur Khadkadi village of Baghpat, Rocky had stashed away his portion in a field in Hasanpur village of Shamli district. To avoid being caught, they got themselves jailed in Chandigarh in an Arms act case, police officials said.
The recovery unfolded over the weekend, with Rocky leading police to a field in Hasanpur on Sunday, where he dug up a bag filled with cash. Similarly, Gaurav retrieved another bag of money buried in a pit inside his home in Arifpur Khadkadi village.
The superintendent of police of Baghpat, Arpit Vijayvargiya confirmed that ₹ 4,62,35,160 had been recovered so far from the duo. “The remaining amount, according to the accused, was either spent on personal pleasures or distributed among police officials, friends, and lawyers in Chandigarh,” he added.
Rocky, a resident of Hasanpur in Shamli, and Gaurav, from Arifpur Khadkadi in Baghpat, were employed by a Meerut-based agency tasked with refilling ATMs. In March, they withdrew cash from a bank but didn’t the funds into any ATM. An audit by the agency, supported by police analysis of CCTV footage from 24 ATM kiosks, exposed the disappearance of ₹5.26 crore.
The investigation uncovered a broader nexus involving Chandigarh police personnel. Rocky and Gaurav, surrendered in an Arms Act case in Chandigarh on March 25. Following the intervention of Baghpat police, Chandigarh police crime branch, on March 27, arrested an inspector, head constable and a senior constable.
All the six accused were recently brought to Baghpat on a ‘B’ warrant and interrogated during a five-day remand granted by the court. The investigation also led the police to arrest Manish Kumar, a resident of Baghpat, who was the first to lead police to ₹50,000 he had hidden in Chandigarh.
SP Vijayvargiya indicated that several family members of Rocky and Gaurav might also face charges. “The entire case is being investigated in detail. We have found evidence of the involvement of a few relatives of the accused in the case. They will be arrested soon. We have also booked three Chandigarh policemen for harbouring the accused.”
