Bengaluru ragpicker finds US dollars worth $3 million; police suspect 'black dollar scam'

A ragpicker found a bag with 23 bundles of US dollars worth $3 million in a pile of garbage near the Nagawara railway station in Bengaluru. Saleman SK, a native of West Bengal's Nadia district who works as a garbage collector, found the bundles last Friday, according to The Indian Express. He reportedly told the police that he found 23 bundles of US dollars but there was a stench of some chemical and he felt sick.

On Sunday, Saleman approached social activist R Kaleemullah, who informed city police commissioner B Dayananda. The activist told IE that the package contained a note on a United Nations letterhead. 

The police seized all 23 bundles and sent them to the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to determine whether they were fake or real. An officer, however, said that prima facie it appeared that the notes were fake. The cop also suspected that the currency notes might have been part of the 'black dollar scam'. 

According to the report, the officer said that 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."

Meanwhile, The New Indian Express today reported that ragpicker was abducted by some miscreants late Tuesday, who demanded that he give them money. The ragpicker then alerted Kaleemullah who said that the accused had allegedly searched the Saleman's house for the money. 

But when they didn't find the money, Kaleemullah said, they blindfolded and abducted him to an unknown apartment. "After checking his phone, the accused freed Bappa near Manyata Tech Park around 9:30 AM on Wednesday," Kaleemullah was quoted as saying by TNIE.