He Collected The Money From An Angadia Operator To Secure The Release of Rs 11 Crore Seized During An ED SearchAhmedabad: Crime branch on Wednesday arrested a man who posed as a middleman and allegedly collected Rs 3 crore from an angadia operator by promising to use his “high-level contacts” in the ED and the CBI to secure the release of Rs 11 crore seized during an ED search. The accused, Vijaykumar alias Mukhi Patel, also allegedly fabricated documents to lend credibility to the scheme.A native of Kukarwada in Mehsana district, he lived in Chandlodia, and was among five people named in an FIR registered by the crime branch earlier this year for cheating, criminal breach of trust and criminal conspiracy.The case stems from an ED raid conducted on Dec 6, 2024, at the Navrangpura office of an angadia firm, during which Rs 11 crore in cash, four mobile phones and a DVR were seized. According to the complaint, Patel approached the firm’s Ahmedabad representative claiming he had strong connections in the ED and the CBI and could secure the release of the seized assets in exchange for money.Police said the complainant and his associates allegedly paid Rs 3,18,65,900 in instalments over several months after being assured that the matter would be “settled” through influential contacts. As part of the alleged conspiracy, Patel also had a notarised agreement executed in another person’s name, showing a fictitious transaction of Rs 13 crore, purportedly to establish ownership of the seized cash before the authorities.Investigators said Patel lived in the UK between 2010 and 2018 before moving to Vanuatu, where he obtained citizenship in 2021. Later, he returned to India with Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) status.Crime branch officials said Patel’s alleged modus operandi was to convince people that he enjoyed access to senior officers in central agencies and could influence official proceedings in return for large payments. Police also said four criminal cases have been registered against him in the past for cheating, forgery and assault in Mehsana, Santhal and Lucknow.
