Bengaluru, November 10: In a surprising turn of events, a ragpicker stumbled upon a fortune in trash near the Nagawara railway station in Bengaluru. Saleman SK, a native of West Bengal’s Nadia district, found a bag containing 23 bundles of US dollars, worth $3 million, in a heap of garbage last Friday. The value of the dollars in Indian currency is Rs 25 crore. However, he handed the bag to the police, saying he felt sick as the notes had a foul chemical smell.

According to a report by the Indian Express, Saleman was shocked to find the bundle of money and decided to keep it with him. He showed it to his boss, Bappa, on November 5. Bappa then reached out to social activist Kali Mullah, who contacted the police commissioner. Bengaluru Police Commissioner B Dayananda soon called them. Bengaluru Shocker: Asked to Leave Mall As Business Hours Had Ended, Woman Attacks Staff, Bites Cop; Arrested.

The police took all 23 bundles of money and handed them over to the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) for verification. A police officer said that the notes looked fake at first glance. He also suspected they were part of a ‘black dollar scam’. The report said that the fraudsters trick people into accepting these fake notes by promising to clean them with chemicals. “People fall for it because the amount is huge, but they are cheated. We suspect some Africans are behind this racket in Bengaluru.” Bengaluru Shocker: Accused Jumps Nude From Fourth Floor of Building To Escape Police, Dies; Case Handed Over to CID.

The ragpicker, however, faced more trouble when some goons kidnapped him on Tuesday night and demanded money from him. He managed to contact Kaleemullah, who said that the kidnappers had searched Saleman’s house for the money, according to The New Indian Express.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Nov 10, 2023 04:31 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).