The 5 cr that was seized

Pune police seized ₹5 crore in cash from an SUV linked to a contractor, detaining four men, including one tied to Shiv Sena MLA Shahaji Bapu Patil.

PUNE: On Monday, Pune police seized ₹5 crore from an SUV at the Khed-Shivapur toll plaza in Pune district, and detailed four men, one of them allegedly closely linked to Shahaji Bapu Patil, Shiv Sena MLA from Sangola in Solapur district. All four individuals hail from Sangola tehsil in Solapur district.

The 5 cr that was seized

The four men are Sagar Patil, Rafiq Nadaf, Balasaheb Asabe and the car’s driver, Shashikant Koli. The SUV, an Innova Crysta bearing registration number MH 45 AS 2526, belongs to a contractor in the construction business, police said.

Pune rural police and election officials confirmed that ₹5 crore in ₹500 notes had been recovered from the vehicle. “During a routine check, we intercepted a suspicious car and found ₹5 crore in cash. The car, which was traveling from Mumbai, was heading toward Satara and Kolhapur,” said Pankaj Deshmukh, Superintendent of Police, Pune Rural. “The cash has been handed over to the Income Tax Department for further investigation,” he said.