Police recover ganja, 96.5 lakh in cash, among other things, in Hubballi

Hubballi-Dharwad Police arrest man with ganja and cash, suspecting involvement in illegal activities like fake Aadhaar cards and bank accounts.

The Hubballi-Dharwad Police have arrested a man with origins in Rajasthan recovered ganja worth ₹85,000 and ₹96.50 lakh in cash.

The accused, Om Prakash Barmer, was caught in an operation conducted by Police Inspector M.M. Tahsildar under the guidance of Assistant Commissioner of Police Umesh Chikkamath near Hubballi Railway Station on Tuesday night.

Addressing presspersons in Hubballi on Wednesday, Police Commissioner N. Shashikumar said that the accused was living in a rented room at Keshwapur in Hubballi for the last six months.

When his room was searched, apart from the ganja, ₹96.50 lakh in cash, an iPhone, ATM cards of various banks, 36 cheques, four passbooks, nine PAN cards, seven rubber stamps and six swiping machines were found, Mr. Shashikumar said.

According to the statement made by the accused, 888 grams of ganja was brought to Hubballi by Ashok Kumar, another man with origins in Rajasthan.

“He has given information about him visiting several taluks surrounding Hubballi and Raichur. He has revealed about his stay in Goa. We are investigating whether he was creating fake accounts in various banks for facilitating his illegal business,” Mr. Shashikumar said.

The Police Commissioner said that they received information about him getting training in Goa on creating fake Aadhaar cards and creating fake bills in the names of merchants.