Nepali thieves send stolen money home through banks

Nepali nationals indulging in theft and robberies in Mumbai have found a new way to send the stolen money back to their country. The money is now being transferred through money transfer agencies or directly through banks. Earlier the amount would be carried as hard cash or jewellery by the thieves, reports Shahkar Abidi.

Nepali nationals indulging in theft and robberies in Mumbai have found a new way to send the stolen money back to their country. The money is now being transferred through money transfer agencies or directly through banks. Earlier the amount would be carried as hard cash or jewellery by the thieves.

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Police sources say that the new modus operandi has been adopted by the thieves to dodge Maoists elements, who are known to take away the loot forcefully.

“As most of the Indian banks have presence in Nepal, it becomes very easy for the accused to transfer the money there. Money transfer agencies are another way in which they are transferring the money,” said Assistant Commissioner of police J Hargude of crime branch.

Police sources said that an interrogation of more than 100 Nepali security guards and servants involved with the robbery at actress Hema Malini’s place revealed this.

Cash and ornaments worth more than Rs 84 lakh were stolen from her flat. Police has been able to recover only Rs 10 lakh of stolen booty. Sources said that the rest was transferred to Nepal. A small part of the amount was transferred using the money transfer mode, they added.

Only Rs 12 lakh of the stolen booty could be recovered from them, as a big part of it was transferred to Nepal through the banking channels. The police officials said that in case of ornaments, the accused sell them on the sly and then transfer the cash to their native country.

Most theft cases involving Nepalis go undetected as the accused sneak into Nepal after committing the crime through the porous border.