A sensational robbery involving ₹400 crore in demonetized currency, which is alleged to have occurred in the thick jungles of Chorla Ghat on the Karnataka-Maharashtra border, has turned high-profile of political nature. Recently the state has received evidence along with a leaked audio clip of a powerful politician in Gujarat, leading to an epic battle of words between the ruling Congress and the BJP in Karnataka.
The Mysterious Heist: The Best-Kept Secret of October
The incident allegedly took place in October 2025 when two container trucks carrying almost ₹400 crore worth of worthless ₹2,000 note denominations was hijacked. The consignment was supposedly shuttling from Goa to an ashram or trust — perhaps located in Telangana or Gujarat for a “black-to-white” exchange.
The heist was only revealed just recently after a Nashik-based businessman named Sandeep Datta Patil filed a kidnapping complaint. Patil said that he had been abducted and tortured for two months by associates of builder Kishore Shet, an alias Salve, who believed Patil was the mastermind of the theft of ₹400 crore.
The ‘Gujarat Connection' and The Viral Record
The case took a dramatic turn on Monday, when an audio recording surfaced. The audio clip features a Kishore talking to an associate named Jayesh. A "big politician from Gujarat," who mediated the cash transfer, is implied.
Based on the leaked audio and the SIT finding:
- The Deal: The funds were allegedly transferred to a trust (that was known as 'Balaji Trust') to be transformed into legal tender on a commission basis (said to be a 60:40 split).
- The Kingpin: It is believed that a man named Virat Gandhi was working on the logistics, and he is now under police custody in Maharashtra.
- The Disappearance: The containers and the guards vanished in the "shadow zones" of Chorla Ghat, which lack mobile networks.
Karnataka Political Slugfest
Karnataka’s political environment has reached a boiling point as the investigation deepens.
BJP Charges: BJP leader Chalavadi Narayanaswamy and former CM Sadananda Gowda have accused the Congress government of turning the state into a transit point for illegal cash. “Here, the Congress government takes money and rolls it over to other states for elections,” Gowda said, implicating the money in relation to the Maharashtra local body polls.
Congress Retaliation: The Congress cabinet has struck back vigorously. Minister Byrathi Suresh mocked the BJP, asking, "Is 'Congress' written on those notes?" Minister Priyank Kharge, meanwhile noted that all three states under question - Goa, Maharashtra and Gujarat - are all under BJP rule.
“How is it that Prime Minister Modi knows when rotis are made in Kalaburagi but not about the ₹400 crore being looted under the noses of three BJP governments?” Kharge questioned.
Jurisdictional Deadlock
The investigation is further complicated by the “tri-junction” geography of the crime scene. Sathish Jarkiholi, District In-charge Minister for Belagavi said the Maharashtra Police are not cooperating with Karnataka authorities.
“There has been complete confusion as to the location of the robbery, was it in Karnataka, Goa or Maharashtra? No one has formally come forward to file a robbery complaint in our state," Jarkiholi said.
While the Maharashtra Special Investigation Team (SIT) probes on, Virat Gandhi, the "powerful Gujarat politician", is perhaps the single key mystery that might have unraveled a huge interstate money laundering syndicate.
