Police recover 25 lakh cash from app cab near Newtown City Center, one in custody

Bidhannagar Detective Department and Eco Park Police Station conducted a successful joint operation near Newtown City Center. Acting on a specific tip-off, the police intercepted an app-based cab on Friday morning. During a thorough search of the vehicle, officers discovered a sum of ₹25 lakh in cash. The passenger, identified as Suresh Thakur, a resident of Gujarat, was immediately taken into custody after he failed to provide any valid documentation or a satisfactory explanation regarding the source of the money.

Preliminary investigations reveal that Thakur was transporting the cash from Kolkata's bustling Burrabazar area and was heading toward Newtown. Burrabazar is often under the scanner of enforcement agencies as a hub for large-scale cash transactions, and the police are now investigating whether this particular consignment was part of an illegal hawala network. The arrest highlights the intensified vigilance of the Bidhannagar police as they monitor transit routes for suspicious financial activities ahead of the upcoming electoral season.

The accused remains in police custody as investigators delve deeper into his local contacts in Kolkata and his intended destination in Newtown. The Bidhannagar police have emphasized that such crackdowns will continue to prevent the misuse of liquid cash for unlawful purposes. The seized currency has been secured as evidence, and the Income Tax department is likely to be informed to assist in the financial probe. Thakur is expected to be produced in court shortly, where the police will seek further remand for interrogation.