Addl CP Pravinkumar Patil dismissed three policemen for looting Rs 45-lakh hawala money

Pune: The three policemen from the Pune Police, who had intercepted a vehicle on Nashik-Mumbai Highway at Dive village and looted Rs 45 lakh, have been dismissed from the police service. Additional Commissioner of Police Pravinkumar Patil has taken this action.

The dismissed cops have been identified as Ganesh Maruti Kamble, Ganesh Balasaheb Shinde and Dilip Maruti Pilane. They were posted at the Dattawadi Police Station. The incident took place on March 8, 2022 at Dive village near Bhiwandi. A case was registered against them at the Narpoli Police Station. Later, they were suspended and a departmental inquiry was launched against them. They have been found guilty in the investigation.

They were posted at the same police station and had close relations. Pilane’s sister had organised a religious ceremony, for which they, along with Babubhai Solanki, had gone to Dive. Solanki received a phone call from his brother. Kamble came to know from Solanki that big hawala money was being transported from Aurangabad to Mumbai via Nashik. He conspired with Shinde and Pilane and intercepted the car belonging to Ramlal Parmar carrying hawala money at Dive. They threatened Parmar with action and examined the car, took away the money and told him to go away.

A robbery case was registered against them. However, Kamble misled the police inspector and got issued a sick pass, though he was not sick. He did this to avoid arrest. He visited Bhiwandi on his weekly off and committed a serious crime. Shinde also committed an offence by furnishing a false reason and took weekly off. Pilane also committed an offence by taking a compensatory off. This was proved in the departmental inquiry. They have been removed from the police service for maligning the image of the police force.