Nashik, Maharashtra | January 26, 2026 – What began as a shadowy transport of demonetized currency through the misty forests of Chorla Ghat has exploded into one of India's most audacious alleged heists, involving up to ₹400 crore (with unverified claims reaching ₹1,000 crore) in scrapped ₹2,000 notes. Three months after two container trucks laden with the cash disappeared without a trace on the Karnataka-Goa-Maharashtra border, a kidnapping complaint has cracked open a labyrinth of rival gangs, hawala operators, and possible election funding links. Police from three states are now in a frantic manhunt, with six arrests made but the fortune – and the trucks – still missing, fueling political mudslinging between Congress and BJP.
The saga, which surfaced publicly only in early January, centers on the night of October 16, 2025, when the two unmarked container lorries were reportedly waylaid in the dense Chorla Ghat jungles – a notorious smuggling hotspot straddling Belagavi district in Karnataka, North Goa, and Sindhudurg in Maharashtra. The vehicles were en route from Goa to an ashram in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, carrying high-value notes withdrawn from circulation in May 2023 but still legal tender. Owned by Thane-based builder Kishore Savla Seth, the consignment was allegedly being shuttled for exchange into smaller denominations on a commission basis – whispers suggest via hawala networks, potentially to fund Maharashtra's recent local body polls.
Eyewitnesses are scarce, and no CCTV footage has surfaced, but Seth claims the ambush was a meticulously planned operation by a Mumbai-based rival gang, possibly aided by rogue police officers and a religious leader. "This entire robbery was planned so perfectly and nobody knew about the missing loads of money for months," a senior investigator told News18, describing it as "probably the largest Money Heist in recent times in India." The trucks, secured with GPS but reportedly tampered with, vanished into thin air, leaving no debris, tracks, or distress signals – a hallmark of insider betrayal, per preliminary probes.
The heist quickly spiraled into a revenge thriller. On October 22, Nashik real estate agent Sandeep Patil (also referred to as Sandip Datta Patil in some reports), 35, was allegedly abducted near Ghoti, 40 km from Nashik, by a group claiming he impersonated Seth and orchestrated the theft. Patil, who had been approached earlier by suspects offering a "security deal" for the containers, was bundled into an SUV, assaulted with iron rods, and held captive for hours – some accounts say over a month – in an isolated spot. His captors, demanding ₹100 crore as ransom or the missing cash's location, released him after a video call "cleared" him, but threats persisted: "Don't go to the police, or you're done."
Counter-claims abound. Seth accuses Patil's network of masterminding his own two-month ordeal, including torture and extortion for the cash's "release" in usable form. Patil, in a video statement to police, denies any role: "I was just a middleman they duped; the real thieves are those who vanished the trucks." Digital trails – call logs, video recordings, and WhatsApp chats – submitted by both parties paint a picture of frantic negotiations gone awry, with accusations flying between "hawala kingpins" and "builder syndicates."
Police sprang into action only after Patil's January 9 complaint at Nashik Rural station, registering an FIR under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita sections for kidnapping (140/3), hurt (115/2), intimidation (351/2), and insult (352). Maharashtra's Special Investigation Team (SIT), headed by Superintendent Aditya Mirkhelkar and greenlit by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, swiftly arrested six suspects by January 25: Jayesh Kadam (threat caller), Virat Gandhi (Gujarat-based "employer"), Machhindra Madavi, Sayyad Azhar, Vishal Naidu, Sunil Dhumal, and Janardhan Dhaigude – including an alleged hawala operator. Two more – including Patil's purported accomplices – remain at large.
The probe's tri-state dimension intensified Sunday, with Belagavi Superintendent K. Ramarajan dispatching a team to Nashik, joining Goa counterparts in scouring border checkpoints and forest trails. Karnataka Home Minister G. Parameshwara, addressing the brewing political storm, asserted: "No role of Karnataka Police in Rs 400 crore heist, truth will emerge." Yet, Belagavi SP Ramarajan cautioned: "There is currently no independent evidence... to confirm that the containers actually passed through Karnataka," highlighting the case's murkiness – no formal heist FIR in the state pending proof of transit.
Mirkhelkar, briefing reporters in Nashik, echoed the caution: "There are a lot of claims and counter-claims, and several facts need to be confirmed. Details will be clearer after we make some progress." The SIT is verifying the cash's origins (possibly black money from real estate), logistics (tampered GPS signals), and motives (rival gangs or poll funding). Drones and canine units comb Chorla Ghat's underbrush, while cyber teams trace digital footprints. Goa police are auditing Seth's consignments, suspecting the notes' post-demonetization hoarding.
Politically, the heist has ignited a Congress-BJP slugfest in Karnataka, with the ruling Congress accusing the Centre of lax border security, while BJP counters it's a "state failure" exposing Siddaramaiah's "anarchic governance." Social media erupts with memes dubbing it "Karnataka's La Casa de Papel," but beneath the jest lies unease: If the cash funded elections, it could unravel Maharashtra's civic polls.
As of Monday evening, the containers – and their ₹400 crore payload – remain ghosts in the ghats. With arrests mounting and borders sealed, the SIT vows breakthroughs soon. For Seth and Patil, scarred by captivity, justice feels as elusive as the vanished fortune. In a nation still haunted by 2016's demonetization scars, this heist underscores a grim irony: Scrapped notes, meant to purge black money, now fuel one of its boldest vanishings. The forests of Chorla Ghat hold their secrets tight – but for how long?
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