What began as a routine police check over a pistol flaunted on Instagram turned into a startling cash seizure in Madhya Pradesh's Sagar on Sunday, when officers searching a young man's house for a firearm instead allegedly found nearly Rs 3 crore stuffed inside a locked cupboard.
No pistol was recovered from the house.
But when police broke open a cupboard whose key, the family claimed, was not available, they found bags packed with currency notes. The cash was so substantial that a counting machine had to be brought in. The recovery was made during a police drive against social media accounts featuring photographs and videos of people posing with pistols, knives and other weapons.
According to Sagar Superintendent of Police Anurag Sujania, police routinely scan Instagram profiles of people suspected of criminal activity or those displaying weapons online. During the exercise on Sunday, police identified two social media profiles carrying photographs of pistols. Verification was carried out in two separate cases, one in the Moti Nagar police station area and another in Gopalganj area.
It was the Gopalganj verification that led police to the residence of Saurabh Ahirwar.
Police had gone there to question him about the pistol seen in the social media photograph and to look for the weapon. During the search, officers noticed a locked cupboard. When the family was asked to open it, they allegedly told police they did not have the key.
Police then completed the necessary panchnama and other formalities before opening the cupboard in the presence of witnesses. What came out was not a weapon, but bags containing bundles of cash.
"The cupboard was opened in the presence of the family and witnesses after following the prescribed procedure. A bag containing a large quantity of currency was found inside," SP Sujania said.
Senior officers were immediately informed and the cash was seized under videography in the presence of independent witnesses. Police said the counting process indicated that the amount recovered was approximately Rs 3 crore. The discovery has now turned a social-media weapon verification into a far larger investigation over the ownership and source of the money.
According to police, Saurabh Ahirwar works as a taxi driver, while his brother drives a three-wheeler. The two brothers have told investigators that the cash does not belong to them. Their claim is that the money belongs to a relative, identified as Ramesh Ahirwar, who had allegedly left it in the cupboard around eight to nine months ago.
The family has further claimed that Ramesh lives in Bhopal and works as an engineer with the Public Works Department. Police are yet to independently establish the claim and the source of the cash.
