Ragpicker finds package with $3 million, note on UN letterhead by railway tracks in Bengaluru, police suspect ‘black dollar scam’

On Friday last, Saleman was scavenging for waste near the Nagawara railway station when he found something unusual — something wrapped in paper. He told the police, “I initially did not know that there were currency notes in it. As it was packed, I thought it might be some books that had been thrown. But when I came home and opened it, I found 23 bundles of US dollars but there was a stench of some chemical and I felt sick.”

With his owner not in town, Saleman hid the money in his home and started thinking about whom to reach out to. On Sunday, he approached social activist and the national executive member of Swaraj India R Kaleem Ullah.

Ullah immediately called city police commissioner B Dayananda who asked them to come to their office in the afternoon. Speaking to indianexpress.com, Ulah said, “We met the police commissioner who too was surprised to see such a large number of bundles of currency notes. He immediately called the Hebbal police inspector who took up the issue.”

Ullah said Saleman was in shock and did not sleep or eat from Friday till he met him. “The only food he had was at the city police commissioner’s office,” Ullah said.

“He (Saleman) was afraid that the police would suspect him of foul play if he approached them which made him reach out to me only after two days,” said Ullah.

Ullah further added that the package contained a note on a United Nations letterhead. The letter read, “The economic and finance committee puts in place a special fund which was voted by members of the security council to assist UN peacekeeping forces in south Sudan. Due to the skeletal banking operations and the hijacking of such funds by unauthorized persons such as terrorists and dictators in these regions the United Nations authorized the finance committee of the UN to place a visible laser stamp on the notes to act as security in order to have the funds to reach its destination safely.”

“This safe contained standard laser stamped security bills TB 0.30-365H/UNSEC/07 AFC of $100 with value of three millions United States Dollars,” the letter added.

The note also claimed that the bills were anti-breeze and should not be exposed to air or atmospheric pressure. Also, the materials used on these bills are highly toxic and the note recommended that hand gloves and nose masks be used before opening the safe. “The chemical required to remove the last stamp is Fino-Bioxine Universal solution Code (BDZ8Y56),” the letter read.

A police officer said that they have seized all the 23 bundles and Monday, they were sent to the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). “They will give us clarity on these notes. Prima facie it looks like these are fake notes but let the RBI officially conclude the same,” the officer added.

The officer also revealed that it looked like the currency notes were a part of the ‘black dollar scam’. Usually, fraudsters use these fake currency notes to cheat people in the form of money exchange or give them fake notes in exchange for real ones.

“Fraudsters provide these fake currency notes and ask the receivers to clean them with chemicals. People accept them because the amount of money is huge but ultimately get deceived. We suspect Africans involved in this racket in Bengaluru,” the officer added.