A constable of the Special Task Force of Kolkata Police has been arrested for his alleged involvement in the robbery of ₹2.66 crore while the money was being transported from a forex company’s office to a bank.
Mintu Sarkar, who was posted in the anti-terror squad of the STF, is the alleged mastermind of the robbery at Entally in central Calcutta earlier this month.
“Sarkar was arrested on Tuesday from the office of the anti-dacoity and robbery squad of the detective department, for his involvement in the case. He is a constable of Kolkata Police, posted in the STF unit,” said joint commissioner (crime), Kolkata Police, Rupesh Kumar.
The police have already arrested six others in this case. Sarkar is the seventh.
Sarkar’s name cropped up during the interrogation of the other accused.
Sources said Sarkar had turned some criminals into his accomplices and had been tracking big transactions, especially in the south division.
“He was informed about the movement of a large amount by an employee of the forex company arrested in the case. The employee had informed one of Sarkar’s ‘sources’. Sarkar then activated his men to carry out the robbery,” said a police source.
However, cops have yet to find where his portion of the share from the stolen money has been parked.
Some of the accused arrested in the case had been on the run, and it took the police several days to nab them.
Sources said the tower location details of the men carrying the cash on May 5 were allegedly found in Sarkar’s possession, indicating he might be aware of their location details on the day of the robbery. However, the cops have yet to zero in on how he obtained those details, sources said.
Police sources said investigators were also trying to confirm whether Sarkar had other links who could help him run this alleged racket.
Sarkar was produced before the Sealdah court on Wednesday. The public prosecutor said two mobile phones were recovered from his possession, and their contents were being probed.
Sarkar was remanded in police custody till May 28.
On the afternoon of May 5, two employees of a forex company in Taltala were robbed of ₹2.66 that they were going to deposit in a bank in Park Circus.
Two men allegedly intercepted the taxi they were travelling in at the Phillips crossing and barged into the vehicle. They took the cab to Kamardanga near Topsia, where two other men joined them and fled with the money.
Police later arrested an employee of the forex company who was not present on the spot but was privy to the amount of cash and its movement before it reached the bank.