An elaborate criminal hunt has now developed as several major agencies in Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Goa lead to a grand detective raid to investigate a sensational heist. There are two container trucks that allegedly carried ₹2,000 notes valued at ₹400 crore, which apparently vanished in the thick forested area of Chorla Ghat, which is the hub between the three states.
The case unfolded after the Indian state government’s response to police discovery in Nashik, where it rescued a businessman named Sandeep Datta Patil. Patil submitted a complaint to the Nashik Rural Police saying that he had been abducted at gunpoint in October 2025 and held hostage for almost 2 months. His captors – loyalists of a prominent Thane-based builder – accused Patil of planning the heist of the ₹400 crore haul. He was tortured and coerced to "return" the money which was in the process of being moved from Goa to Gujarat for its conversion into legitimate denominations, it was reported.
With a staggering figure and the possibility for political consequences, Maharashtra authorities set up a Special Investigation Team (SIT). There were seven suspects that were arrested as of Jan 26, 2026 including an Ahmedabad-based prominent hawala operator who was tagged as Virat Gandhi.
The Thane-based builder, Kishore Sawla, an alpha suspect, is still absconding. Belagavi Police had formally joined the investigation on Sunday, January 25. Special teams have been sent at Nashik for intelligence coordination, Belagavi SP K. Ramarajan confirmed. Searches are currently carried out over the accident-prone and dangerous terrain of Chorla Ghat of the Tehsil city of Khanapur.
Nevertheless, detectives are wary; although the kidnapping and extortion have been verified, the physical presence of the ₹400 crore in cash is still being verified by the complainant’s digital evidence. The SIT is already investigating the whereabouts of the two missing container trucks and possible connections to organized crime syndicates operating across state lines.
