Rakesh Kumar Singh alias Dimpu, arrested by Ranchi police from Kolkata, has revealed, during interrogation, that he had been putting copious amounts of money in horse race betting and had plans to invest in telecommunications retail. He wanted to turn the money acquired through sleazy ways white.
“Based on documents we seized from him, Dimpu had been betting amounts up to Rs 8 to 6 lakhs on horse races in Kolkata. We have found some papers which indicate that he had plans to open retail outlets of telecommunication services,” stated Senior Superintendent of Police Kuldeep Dwivedi while presenting Dimpu and his driver accomplice Anil Kumar Ram before the press on Wednesday.
“These investments were supposed to act as an outlet for the money he had accumulated during the course of his criminal career. Considering how the transactions he made ranging in several lakhs, the seed amount with Dimpu is expected to be a large sum,” further added the SSP.
With pressure from police building up, Dimpu and Anil had fled the State to escape the heat. They had been tracked to Bihar and Uttar Pradesh but their movements finally stopped in Kolkata, where they were arrested after three days of recce.
Police have recovered two pistols, four .9mm live cartridges and seven mobile phones from them. The arms and ammunition were found in the possession of driver Anil. The documents pertaining to the abovementioned transactions were also recovered.
Dimpu, who had actively been associated with Chandan Sonar gang in Ranchi, is a wanted criminal in neighbouring states of Jharkhand and Bihar for his involvement in several cases of murder and kidnapping for ransom. In the initial interrogations, he had confessed kidnapping billionaire businessman Sohail Hingora from Daman and Diu in 2013 and keeping him in Chapra, whom he set free after receiving a heavy ransom of Rs 9 crore.
The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) has been on the lookout for Dimpu in the case registered in this case at Nayagaon police station in Chapra. “Bihar IG has been in touch with us since last night. A team of Bihar police is expected to join us in the interrogation,” said Dwivedi.
He also confessed his part in another shootout involving liquor trader Anup Chawla in 2015, kidnapping of luv Bhatia in 2009 and murdering Pawan Kumar Thakur in 2011 and Umashankar Singh in 2012. In the Chawla shootout, business rivalry seems to be the motive behind attempt on the alcohol shop proprietor’s life, the SSP said.
He also said, “In the grilling by far, names of several major shooters of Ranchi have been established. Dimpu will be taken on remand once again for further interrogation. Some of the information he has passed are still not clear and will be cleared in further questioning.”
