Bengaluru ragpicker's Rs 25-crore illusion ends in boss's kidnapping; Here's all you need to know

In Bengaluru, a ragpicker experienced a mix of excitement and subsequent distress when he stumbled upon bundles of US dollars with a face value of $3 million, around ?25 crore. Salman Sheikh discovered on November 1 in Hebbal, only to later find out that the notes were counterfeit. Unbeknownst to Salman, the news of his find circulated and resulted in his contractor being kidnapped.

Salman, astonished by the sight of the cash, fainted, envisioning a transformed life. After pondering over what to do for four days, he approached his contractor, Bappa, on November 5. Unsure of the next steps, Bappa sought the assistance of social activist Kalimullah, who then informed the police.

However, the situation took a dark turn when a gang, aware of Salman's discovery and Bappa's involvement, kidnapped the contractor to claim the money for themselves. Blindfolded and tortured, Bappa endured hours of questioning about the money's whereabouts. Despite his assurances that he had informed the police and handed over the money to them, it took four hours for the gang to believe him and release him. Fearing for his family's safety, Bappa refrained from filing a police complaint as per the gang's threats.


The police, upon investigation, discovered that the dollars and a letter with a 'United Nations seal' found with Salman were both fake. Bengaluru Police Commissioner B Dayanand confirmed the counterfeiting and stated that an investigation was underway. The police are now focused on determining the origin, purpose, and individuals behind the fake notes. The presence of a chemical on the notes has led them to consider the possibility of a black dollar scam, a scheme where fraudsters convince individuals that they have recovered genuine banknotes painted black to avoid detection, offering a chemical solution to revert them to their original state.