Tumsar Police have arrested ten individuals, including the Branch Manager of Axis Bank, in connection with the seizure of ₹5 crore in cash from a laundry in Tumsar on Tuesday. The accused, hailing from Uttarakhand, Gondia, and Chhattisgarh, were produced before the court and remanded to police custody until February 11.
A joint team from the Local Crime Branch (LCB), Anti-Terrorism Branch (ATB), and Tumsar Police raided Rajkamal Art Drycleaners, where the money was discovered in four bags.
Bank Manager Lured by Fake Transaction Promise
Superintendent of Police Noorul Hasan revealed that Axis Bank Manager Gaurishankar Fulchand Bawankule (40) was allegedly lured with a promise of ₹7 crore via RTGS in exchange for ₹5 crore in cash. Tempted by the deal, Bawankule withdrew the money without proper documentation or fulfilling banking procedures.
The police have informed the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), Income Tax Department, and Enforcement Directorate (ED) about the case.
Modus Operandi & Key Accused
According to SP Hasan, the accused had been searching for cash in Tumsar for several days before approaching Bawankule and Bank Operating Head Vishal Tejram Thakre (29), convincing them that the funds were required for a major business transaction.
Falling for the scheme, Bawankule and Thakre withdrew ₹5 crore from the bank’s chest and stored it in the dry cleaner’s shop. The duo allegedly promised ₹1 lakh each to the shop owner and Jagdish Katkar (48) for their cooperation.
On the complaint of Axis Bank’s Chief Manager Abhay Nashine, Tumsar Police registered an offense under Sections 316(1), 16(5), 318(4), 61(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) against ten individuals, including:
- Gaurishankar Fulchand Bawankule (40) – Axis Bank Manager
- Vishal Tejram Thakre (29) – Bank Operating Head
- Jagdish Katkar (48)
- Vinit Vishwambharlal Kakkad (38) – Resident of Kashipur, Uttarakhand
- Chandrashekar Sudhakar Dhabu (54) – Resident of Raipur
- Shubham Narendra Nagdeve (33)
- Sagar Ramkrishna Multani (32)
- Raja Surendra Khobragade (32)
- Shubham Anil Rangari (33) – All residents of Gondia
- Milind Virendra Ramteke (30) – Resident of Seoni village, Gondia
Link to Business Transactions & Further Investigation
The investigation has revealed that the ₹5 crore was transferred to Axis Bank from M D Industries and Aman Scrap Company of Gondia. The accused were reportedly waiting for an additional ₹2 crore transfer.
Under the supervision of SP Noorul Hasan, the probe is being carried out by SDPO Prashant Kulkarni, PI Nitin Chincholkar, PI Milind Tayade, API Gorakshnath Naglot, and their team. Authorities suspect more individuals may be involved, and further arrests are expected in the coming days.
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