DCP contacted members of angadia association, witnesses during inquiry against him, police tell court

But in his pre-arrest bail plea, Tripathi has claimed that a complaint was filed against him with malafide intent as he had not succumbed to the pressure of mediators of illegal hawala operators “working as Angadia Association”, and had directed action against them.

Tripathi, who was earlier the DCP in Zone II of the city, has been named as a wanted accused in the probe by the police in connection with an alleged demand of Rs 10 lakh per month from angadias, who call themselves ‘traditional couriers’ for goods, including cash, outside the formal banking system.

In its reply filed on Wednesday, Mumbai Police has claimed that Tripathi had made calls on WhatsApp to members of the association as well as witnesses in the case, interfering with the probe.

“In a bid to shield himself, he contacted witnesses and recorded conversations with them while the inquiry by the additional commissioner of police was underway into the incident,” the reply states. The sessions court will hear the anticipatory bail plea on Thursday.

The police have also claimed that the interrogation of arrested accused, including three policemen, has revealed that it was Tripathi’s “oral and illegal orders”, based on which they conducted searches of bags belonging to angadias on December 2, 3, 4 and 6 last year.

The police also claimed that money was traced to have been sent to the DCP’s domestic help in Lucknow through the same hawala network.

The reply also states that Tripathi did not report to duty since February 19 by claiming that he was unwell.

In his pre-arrest bail plea filed through lawyers Aniket Nikam and Vivek Arote, Tripathi has said on November 15 last year, he had issued a circular to the police stations in his zone to take action against illegal activities including hawala transactions. His plea states that after the circular was issued, the association filed a “false and motivated complaint” before the city police chief, claiming harassment by police officers including him due to “increasing discomfort in their illegal activities”. The plea also said that the angadias run a business of carrying high amounts of unaccounted cash which is ‘black money’, and can be used to carry illegal hawala cash of criminals and others.

“It is most respectfully submitted that nowhere any person whose bag was checked or any officer who was checking, can mention that the Applicant was present there at the spot, not the Applicant told them how to execute it or the Applicant demanded money from them or money was given to the Applicant by them in any way,” the plea states.