Hyderabad: Trio giving new currency to Maoists held

Hyderabad: The Mahbubnagar police on Thursday busted a racket and arrested two contractors and a postmaster who allegedly tried to exchange currency to help Maoists and seized Rs 12 lakh in cash from them.

Mahbubnagar SP Rema Rajeshwari said identified the three trio as Trinatha Rao, deputy manager for Raja Engineering Company in Charla, Kothagudem district; assistant engineer Siddhartha and postmaster Sathyanarayana, who worked at Manthangod post office in Makthal mandal in Mahbubnagar.

The SP said that Trinatha Rao received a letter from Khammam Maoist district secretary seeking money. The letter warned him of dire consequences if he failed to pay 10 per cent commission on contract works he was doing in the area.

“Rao and other contractors agreed to pay Rs 1.30 crore in cash. They went to hand over the cash in Rs 1,000 and Rs 500 notes on November 12. With the Centre abolishing those notes, they sought new currency. They took the help of the postmaster to exchange old currency for new. The postmaster asked for 30 per cent commission,” Ms Rajeshwari said.

The contractors bargained for 15 per cent commisision and secured the new notes. They went to Manthangod by car to hand over the cash to Maoists at midnight on November 30 when they were arrested.

Nayaranaguda police seized Rs 96 lakh
The Nayaranaguda police nabbed a five-member gang including a woman that was trying to exchange demonetised notes with new currency for a 15 per cent commission. Police seized about Rs 96 lakh.

During vehicle checking at Himayatnagar, the police intercepted a car and found four persons from Prakasam district and the woman from Ram-anthapur carrying bags filled with the cash. The suspects were detained.

Trio cheats man with dollar deal
The Begumpet police arrested two persons who cheated a cabbie on the pretext of providing US dollars. The suspects were identified as Mariyam and her aide Aneef, hailing from Kolkata.

Begumpet detective sub-inspector A. Narsing Rao said Zuber, a cabbie, on November 11 lodged a complaint stating that he was cheated of Rs 2.2 lakh. The gang promised dollars  but sent him away with paper bundles, police said.