What started off as a brazen highway robbery in the tri-junction of Karnataka, Goa and Maharashtra has become a multi-state financial conspiracy. The Maharashtra Special Investigation Team (SIT) explosive findings today that the ₹400 crore that was stolen at Chorla Ghat was more than just other cargoes, it was a huge hoard of demonetized ₹2,000 notes belonging to a very powerful politician of Gujarat with a prominent position at its state.
The “Black-to-White” Blueprint
According to SIT sources, such money was being circulated from Goa to Telangana along the very bad road known as Chorla Ghat of Khanapur taluk. The final destination was allegedly the 'Balaji Trust', in Telangana. A “Black-to-White” conversion scheme involving the deposit of Rs 400 crore of old currency via the trust into the legal economy. It was alleged that this funds-cleansing operation was designed to ease large-scale benami property purchases in both Maharashtra and Gujarat.
The Players: From Builders to Hawala Kings
Kishore Salve alias ‘Shet’: A high-profile real estate businessman hailing from Maharashtra, Salve is believed to have been the main intermediary in the transaction.
Virat Gandhi: Headquartered in Ahmedabad as a hawala operative, Gandhi was the logistics officer for the transport.
The “Internal” Job: The heist had been believed at the time to have been committed by highway dacoits, but police now say it was an inside job. Virat’s team allegedly fled with the containers near the Khanapur forests, leaving Salve in shock and prompting a chain of abductions to “recover” the lost loot.
Viral WhatsApp Leak: Evidence of the Deal
A critical breakthrough came out when SIT officials intercepted a WhatsApp message from the accused Virat Gandhi and Jayesh Kadam. The transcript offers evidence of a smoking gun in the money laundering scam:
Virat: "I have presented all the evidence to Kishore Bhai. And now I meet the 'Ashram' (Trust). If the deal goes through we end up with 170 crore, our commission is 10%."
Jayesh: "Are we going to receive the payment by the end of this month?"
Virat: “By January 5 or 10, you can expect it. It does not make any difference--they are only trying to reclaim the 'goods', but payment will not be returned. Send the Ashram address very quickly."
Political and Legal Fallout
The reference to a “powerful Gujarat politician” has sent tremors through the political corridors of New Delhi and Gandhinagar. The SIT has also detected ten suspects, including Virat Gandhi, but the "big fish" who was behind the ₹400 crore is yet to be identified. The Belagavi Superintendent of Police, K. Ramarajan, said the Karnataka police were assisting the Maharashtra SIT under full technical support. Investigators are still searching for the containers that are said to be buried in thick forest patches of the Western Ghats.
