Crime Branch recovers Rs 1.5 lakh from absconding DCP's house help in extortion case

Cops recovered Rs 2.5 lakh from DCP Saurabh Tripathi’s house help

The house help of absconding DCP Saurabh Tripathi, who is an accused in the angadia extortion case, was brought to Mumbai and produced before the holiday court on Sunday. According to sources, the crime branch has recovered Rs 1.5 lakh from the house help Pappukumar Pyarelal Gaud, who was arrested from Lucknow's Gomtinagar. He has turned out to be a crucial lead in the case, which directly links Tripathi in the extortion racket. The court has granted custody to the Crime Intelligence Unit (CIU) of the Mumbai Crime Branch till March 28.

According to the crime branch, the extortion money was sent through hawala to Uttar Pradesh allegedly by Tripathi and the amount has been received by his house help. "He has been brought to Mumbai, however, he is not cooperating. The investigation has revealed that the amount sent from Mumbai was received by him. He has been the house help of the absconding accused for the past several years," an officer said, on condition of anonymity.

Tripathi has submitted an anticipatory bail application before sessions court last week and the matter is likely to be heard on March 23. In his application, Tripathi has claimed that he has been falsely accused in the case and his name was not there in the FIR filed after the preliminary probe conducted by additional commissioner Dilip Sawant. Tripathi also claimed that he has no idea about the ongoing extortion from angadia workers.

The CIU of Mumbai Crime Branch has so far formed five different teams to trace Tripathi. The accused inspector Om Vangate, during interrogation, had revealed that money was extorted after verbal instructions were given by DCP Tripathi. He was shunted from Zone 2 following the case and posted as DCP operation at police headquarters, but he never took charge and his number was switched off.