Indore (Madhya Pradesh): Two police constables, along with two others from Sonkatch in Dewas district, allegedly carried out a daylight robbery of a crypto trader of around Rs 6 lakh under the Palasia police station limits. The accused lured the victim on the pretext of purchasing cryptocurrency (USDT), abducted him, forced a digital currency transfer of 4,000 USDT (around Rs 4 lakh), and robbed him of Rs 2 lakh in cash.
ACP Tushar Singh said a case has been registered against Naved Lodhi, Sahil, and two unidentified persons on the complaint of Abdul Fahad, a resident of the Khajrana area. The accused allegedly threatened the victim, accusing him of earning money through illegal means, and took him to an isolated place, where Rs 2 lakh in cash was looted and 4,000 USDT was forcibly transferred.
Police arrested Naved and Sahil, while the two constables Manoj Malviya and Avinash have been detained for further investigation. They will be formally arrested once their roles in the crime are established and CCTV footage is examined to collect evidence, ACP Singh added.
ACP Singh further said that the complainant and accused Naved knew each other, as they had carried out a cryptocurrency transaction around six months ago.
Accused confronted victim at ATM while depositing money
The complainant told police that on Saturday evening, he and his brother Junaid went to an ATM at Chandralok Square to deposit Rs 2 lakh into his mother Shehnaz s bank account. While he was depositing the money, a man identified as Sahil approached him from behind. Shortly after, two men arrived on a motorcycle and threatened them.
The accused then forcibly took the victim to an isolated location behind Singapore Business Park, robbed him of the cash, and compelled him to transfer 4,000 USDT from his mobile phone to Naved s crypto account. The victim reported the incident to the police the following day, after which a case was registered.
Constable s childhood friend tipped off trader s details
Police sources said that during interrogation, Naved revealed that constable Manoj Malviya is his childhood friend and former classmate. Manoj had earlier told him to inform him if there was any big opportunity. Naved allegedly told police that he came to Indore on February 6, and the next day, Manoj, along with constable Avinash and Sahil, shared information about Abdul Fahad being involved in cryptocurrency trading. The group then allegedly conspired to trap him.
As per the plan, Naved contacted Abdul Fahad and proposed a deal to buy USDT. The accused planned to pretend to complete the transaction and then intervene while the money was being counted. The victim s appearance and details of his electric vehicle were shared among the accused. Once the meeting point was finalised, Sahil and the two policemen reached the ATM location, leading to the robbery.
Allegations of shielding policemen
Sources alleged that police initially attempted to shield the two constables. When the complainant insisted, the policemen were not named directly in the FIR and were instead listed as suspected persons.
