Three Drums of Cash Unearthed in Prayagraj Village

On October 29, police in Uttar Pradesh’s Prayagraj district recovered three steel drums packed with currency notes from a house in Baraipur Rampur village, Nawabganj area. The drums were buried about five metres underground and were sealed and deposited in the police malkhana after a videographed search lasting over four hours. The operation was led by Assistant Commissioners of Police (ACP) Phulpur and ACP Soraon, with Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Sonam Kumar overseeing the raid.

Three drums filled with cash recovered from Prayagraj village ThePrintCash worth crores suspected in 3 drums recovered from field in UP's Prayagraj village

The recovery followed a tip-off received by police on the same day. Investigators were alerted after a local dispute suggested that the Yadav family, owners of the property, possessed a large amount of unaccounted cash. Residents reported that brothers Rakesh Yadav and Rajesh Yadav, who had worked in Pune and returned to the village in 2020, had recently purchased land and tractors, raising suspicion about a sudden surge in wealth. Police questioned the landowners to determine the rightful owner of the money and detained one individual for further interrogation. The Income Tax Department was called in to count the notes and trace the source of the cash.

ANI NewsThePrintCash worth crores suspected in 3 drums recovered from field in UP's Prayagraj village

Officials estimate the recovered cash to be between Rs 3 crore and Rs 4 crore, consisting mainly of Rs 500 notes wrapped in black polythene. The exact amount will be confirmed once the Income Tax Department completes its counting process.

ThePrint

DCP Sonam Kumar said the seized currency had been sealed and handed over to the appropriate department for counting. He emphasized that the investigation would focus on identifying the source of the money and that “the total seized amount would be clear once the department completes counting the currency.” Police have also indicated that additional cash could be uncovered during the counting.

Cash worth crores suspected in 3 drums recovered from field in UP's Prayagraj village

• “Cops have already informed the department concerned for the counting of currency seized by the police and are questioning the landowners to find out the rightful owner of the money.” — The DCP

Cash worth crores suspected in 3 drums recovered from field in UP's Prayagraj village

• “The total seized amount would be clear once the department completes counting the currency.” — Insiders

Cash worth crores suspected in 3 drums recovered from field in UP's Prayagraj village