Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, May 9: The Crime Branch today arrested two international racketeers engaged in the so-called business of heavenly objects “meteorite and fulgurites”, claiming that they were procured for studies even by NASA and other space agencies. The investigating agency has so far recovered Rs 18.5 lakh while one of the Jammu based businessman had paid Rs 8 crore to Andhra Pradesh trader for procuring and certifying what they called the meteorite or fulgurites.
The arrest accused have been identified as Vainkatta Krishna Mattugula, a resident of Secunderabad in Andhra Pradesh, Director Meteorite Company and Sandeep Rana R/o Paryot, Doda.
SSP Crime Branch, Jammu, Mubassir Latifi told the Excelsior that a Jammu based businessman Raj Kumar Gupta of Gandhi Nagar had paid Rs 8 crore to Mattugula for purchasing meteorite or fulgurites, which was commonly called in the hilly areas as `tratgola’. The racketeer had been claiming that it was very precious metal, which falls from the sky during lightning in the hilly areas and was later collected by the local people.
The racketeers, who had spread their work not only the countrywide but even abroad, had been claiming that `tratgola’ was even procured by the space agencies like NASA as it had scientific value at very high costs though the facts were quite contrary as there was no scientific or any other value of so-called `tratgola’.
Latifi said the Crime Branch registered a FIR in the international racket and started investigations under the supervision of IGP Crime Branch Munir Khan after getting complaint from Raj Kumar Gupta verified that he had been duped by Mattugula of Rs 8 crore on the pretext of procuring for him the `tratgola’.
However, Gupta neither got the `tratgola’ not his money back.
After conducting series of raids, the Crime Branch sleuths today arrested Mattugula from Secunderabad in Andhra Pradesh and was bringing him here. Sandeep Rana, a local conduit of Mattugula, a resident of Paryot, Doda and recovered pistol from his possession.
The Crime Branch team, which made the arrests, was headed by Inspector Pervez Sajjad.
Out of Rs 8 crore taken by Mattugula, he had paid Rs 16 lakh to Rana for procuring `tratgola’. Rana had purchased Rs 3 lakh worth pistol from the amount. The Crime Branch was verifying as to why Rana had purchased the pistol.
Sources said Mattugula and Rana would be subjected to sustaining questioning to ascertain identity of more racketeers involved in befooling the businessmen on the name of selling them meteorite or fulgurites by describing them as heavenly objects.
Sources said the Crime Branch was also investigating similar case in which several youths of Mansar and Batote apart from Sandeep Rana were involved.
In this case, Raj Kumar Gupta had paid Rs 5.6 crores to Mohammad Iqbal, Tahir Ahmad, Mohammad Jalil and Mudassir Ali of Mansar, Akhter Parvez and Iqbal Mir of Batote in addition to Rana.
Sources said out of this, the Crime Branch has so far recovered Rs 18.5 lakh.
The Crime branch has frozen bank accounts of some of the accused to track down the money trails and make more arrests.
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