Drug peddler files income tax returns for Rs 40 lakh, lands in police net

BENGALURU: A 34-year-old migrant construction labourer who declared Rs 40 lakh as his annual income and filed his income-tax returns was arrested for peddling drugs.

Koramangala police seized 26 kg of ganja and Rs 5 lakh cash from Rachappa Ranga, who had come from Pushpapura, Chamarajanagara 12 years ago now resides off Kanakapura Road.

His associate, Srinivas, 47, a Chandapura resident, was arrested, while his ganja supplier Sashu, is at large.

Rachappa, a matriculate, came under the police scanner a few months after he filed Income-Tax returns, declaring Rs 40 lakh as income for 2017-18.

I-T department officials called him for scrutiny as he had not declared the source of his income and asked police to keep an eye on him.

Police investigation revealed that Rachappa worked as a construction labourer in Bengaluru before taking to peddling drugs in 2013. He allegedly recruited youths as agents and ran a drug-peddling business in the city and earned crores of rupees. He also lived in a villa on Kanakapura Road paying Rs 40,000 monthly rent, owned a swanky car and property in his village.

Koramangala police received information about Rachappa and his men arriving at a hotel on 80ft Road Koramangala on January 20 and rushed there. They managed to catch Rachappa and Srinivas but Sashu gave them the slip. Police seized the car, mobile, Rs 5 lakh cash along with 26 kg ganja from the accused.

According to police sources, after the I-T department began scrutinizing his returns, Rachappa, on lawyers' advice, registered himself as a Class I contractor with a few government agencies. But he had not bargained on the I-T department tipping off police. Rachappa sold at least 30 kg of ganja every month, sources said. He sold ganja of top quality at Rs 35,000 per kg.