Thrissur :Police on Monday nabbed nine in connection with robbery of havala money that arrived for BJP election campaign in state. All men were members of a gang that specialised in robbing havala money in transit. They are currently being interrogated.
It was initially believed that a havala sum of Rs 3 crore for BJP campaign was robbed while being transported from Kozhikode to Ernakulam. However, later that amount changed to Rs 10 crore in what was to be BJP campaign money for all districts. Also, an incriminating SMS from a BJP leader referring to staging the road accident as part of robbery was retrieved.
The robbery drama unfurled in Kodakkara on 3rd April when a. Kozhikode native initially lodged complaint with police claiming his car containing Rs 25 lakhs meant for land deal the following day was looted. Soon media follow-up emerged pointing the story was a fake one. Meanwhile, police began their part of the investigations.
According to sources, a prominent state BJP leader is the mastermind behind the staged accident. A member belonging to his faction in the district is allegedly the main perpetrator. As soon as the vehicle with money took off from Kozhikode, the state leader tipped off the district leader, who quickly set off to the party office, and arranged accommodation for the gang at nearby lodge. In the morning, these gang men positioned themselves next to Kodakkara bridge, staged the crash and headed off with the car, money and all.
The incident eventually led to huge outbursts inside the party. As a routine, the state president and general secretary handles party funds. The general secretary known for strict rules regarding funds, was recently removed and replaced. If the brain behind his ouster could be identified, it might provide a break to cracking the truth.
