A story by Pradip Bhandari & Akriti Bhatia.
70:30 Racket.
Yes.
This racket worked post demonetization in conversion of large denomination currency. This is what we, at Jan ki Baat, probed into.
This is the racket which works as a money laundering tool for the big money holders. Many started changing the money for commission during demonetization.
All this started when Jan ki Baat reporter took an Uber pool. Coincidentally, this lady named Lucy, a co-pooler, was overheard by our reporter talking (with her relatives abroad) about the money to be transferred for some commission.
She, then talks with Lokesh, who is an overseas dealer of┬а converting old currency into bullion. She can be clearly heard talking about gold bars and confirming from Lokesh that the gold bars also have hallmark on them. Clearly, the lady was negotiating about the black money to make into white.
After this, we decided to go into the depths of the matter and find out what was really going on. We then contacted Lucy. Our reporter, became a man named Rajesh, who wants to convert a huge sum of money. And the conversation between Lucy And Rajesh is startling and disturbing. How a chain of agents was working continuously even after demonetization, can clearly be heard in the exclusive sting done by Jan ki Baat.
The conversation starts with Lucy talking in Punjabi with her relatives living overseas.
Here are the complete transcripts of the conversations
LUCY (talking to a relative) : ┬а…that you donтАЩt declare it at home bani, where he is, he will receive it and then give that back to you. Are you getting it?┬а This is an absolute secretтАжa big thing. DonтАЩt you┬а understand? The boy has made me crazy, I am going here and there. Because everyone dumped us, turned their back(to convert the money). OH…or bring some gold…You say its urgent…Ok. I will talk to you later. Hang up.
Lucy,┬аthen makes a call to Lokesh and talks to him-
LUCY: Hi LokeshтАж IтАЩm sorry I was very busy in my banking problem( black money related) so I couldnтАЩt connect. SoтАжwanted to ask you, what is the rate today? (Rate, at which the commission is to be given to the agent).
YesтАж? YesтАж?
Lokesh speaks.
LUCY: It has increased again?… Ok. we are talking about that thing( Money conversion). Wait. IтАЩm making a whatsapp call to you, pick it upтАж Okay?
(WhatsApp call, because it can be in the en encrypted form, can’t be read or heard by the third person).
Lucy then makes a Whatsapp call to Lokesh-
LUCY: Actually I had a call from overseas, so I just wanted to know…likeтАжwhatтАжwhat we have spoken that dayтАжif we do with that money, so what were you going you charge for it?…(stops for a while)тАжThe bar onlyтАжthe bar only which I..yesтАжand if you get the other one then??
She then hears Lokesh speaking for a whileтАж
LUCY: Any negotiating in the other one? The 37 one (37% of the total money being converted) ? It isтАжbutтАжyeahтАжbut that is confirmed na? you are confirming the clarity of everything na what we are talking about?…ButтАжnotтАжnot at all negotiable after 37?…(stops). But available na? NahiтАжno IтАЩm asking you, I donтАЩt want to check it in the market. SoтАжits 37 youтАЩre saying? Okay?┬а And itтАж has this hallmark na? (Lucy makes sure that it has Hallmark, it is of pure quality, certified gold)
She stops to hear from Lokesh and continuesтАж
LUCY: OkayтАжthereтАЩs some problem, this is тАжmy people from abroad its nothing my concern, so kindlyтАжeven if you are talking, please donтАЩt talk to VIJAY or VIJAYтАЩs son about it (insists) because they are going to be a very big problem otherwiseтАжyou understand na??┬а so IтАЩm ringing you back in 10 to 15 minutesтАжtill the time youтАЩll also reach home. Bye.
Jan ki Baat investigated and found details about the lady and probed further. The conversation between Lucy and Jan ki Baat reporter, AS Rajesh –
LUCY: ┬аRajeshwar, how are you in contact with Lokesh? Are you into the same trade?? ( Lucy makes sure, that Rajesh is an authentic person)
RAJESH: NoтАж no.. I..I┬а got to know about it throughтАжuh..one of my friends. I have never met Lokesh personally. He just said that I should say his nameтАжthat I should mention him.
LUCY: OkayтАж Actually, I donтАЩt live here and I am not into it…but тАжI told LokeshтАжThere are some people who had asked me,if someone wants to get it done.. they are defendable people and…they can do it. SoтАжthey wonтАЩt do it for low denominationтАж
RAJESH: NoтАжno.. I have very high denomination..
LUCY: OkayтАжandтАжthe thing isтАжtheyтАжwhen they were talking to meтАжbecause afterтАжIтАжI am not very good in politics, to be honest to you. They said itтАЩs going to be 30% of and straight away you get the moneyтАжhands on right away, straight. So this is what they were talking to me sincerely. I have not got done anything for anyone.
RAJESH: OkayтАжOkay
LUCY:┬а┬а but LokeshтАж And I have to go into thousand transactions of goldтАжso that didnтАЩt come around. ThatтАЩs how I phoned him that there are people and he said, тАЬ lets тАж..( voice cracks). The people who will do. They are directly from the ministryтАж they have
RAJESH: OhтАжpeople who will doтАжSorry…??
LUCY: They have the contacts direct from some ministerтАжokay..?
RAJESH: SoтАжthey get contacted directly from the minister, they will do thatтАж?
LUCY: No…no…no…noтАжyouтАж You will get the number of the person directly, you can talk to him. DonтАЩt utter my name (she makes sure, she doesn’t get into the highlight with a clarification), just talk to them (Rajesh agreeingтАж), because I have nothing to take in thisтАж.
RAJESH: YesтАж.YesтАж..YesтАж
LUCY: If you can hold, let me finish. If you say negotiate, I am happyтАж.more than happy. And if you areтАж.ready with themтАжright?(disturbance occurred)..take your terms whatever the place you have to go say make everything according to you then only tell themтАж..(HEAVY DISTURBANCE)тАж.whatever suits youтАжis it correct?
RAJESH: okay. Correct..MaтАЩamтАж. I didnтАЩt get the last line, it was not audibleтАж can you please repeat it?
LUCY:┬а I saidтАж. I am just puttingтАжif you want..I can just put you through to themтАжI am nowhereтАжthese people are there.. you can talk to them on your ownтАжyou can have your ownтАжrules naтАж.ki mereko ye chaiyeтАж.aise aise karna┬а haiтАж
RAJESH: haanтАжhaan..bilkulтАжto ismeтАжbecause the ED and the government is going very heavy so this is all secured naтАж..right?
LUCY: your voice is echoingтАжтАжтАж.I did not follow a thing what you said.
RAJESH:┬а NoтАжno..noтАжI am sayingтАж.becauseтАж.they are all in the governmentтАжтАжso this all goingтАж
LUCY: NoтАж..noтАжnoтАжnoтАжnoтАжnoтАж They are not in the government( Clarifying what she said earlier), they are people who are doing this workтАж.and I was doubting that they must have got this from some big source onlyтАжbecause these people are into thisтАжthis trade onlyтАж.they are doing this for everyoneтАжthen they were flying off to BBS to get into the gold barтАжyou got it?
RAJESH: yesтАжokayтАжokayтАж
LUCY: That is how I know them and i do not know them directly..
RAJESH: okayтАжhmm..okayтАж
LUCY: I know them through a friend of mine who is a bit ofтАж.some secretary in some political partyтАж
RAJESH: okayтАж.okayтАжyesтАж
LUCY: but this is thereтАжthat once I talk to themтАж you give your direct numberтАжmake yourself very sure what you are doingтАжokay?
RAJESH: okayтАжbut what should be the range in whichтАжuh…I shouldтАжum..negotiate with them?
LUCY: NahiтАжmaine kaha kuch aur dekho agar kam kardeтАж30% they have told meтАжas much as the person wantsтАж
RAJESH: To maтАЩam aap unka contact number mujhe de dijiyeтАжI will call themтАж
LUCY:┬а No tell meтАжhow much I have toтАж Every tom, dick and harry I cannot give na… What sort of… just give me a small clueтАж what sort of money you want to get themтАж
RAJESH:┬а This is above twenty…
LUCY: BigтАжbig 20?? ( Lucy talks big-hearted and big-time for Crore)
RAJESH: yesтАжbigтАжbig 20.
LUCY: okayтАж and 30% suits you?┬а
RAJESH:┬а 25тАжis fine?
LUCY: No!!тАжthey will not! That is what IтАЩm trying toтАж (She almost loses her cool for a second)
RAJESH: okay fineтАжokay fineтАжmy…my only concern is that my money shouldтАжthat my moneyтАжthat the money ┬аshould be┬а convertedтАжI want that to happenтАж (agreeing with her)
LUCY: And how will youтАжyou will have to take someone along with you and go naтАжhow will you manage..
RAJESH: YesтАжyesтАжfor all thatтАж. I will take someone alongтАж
LUCY: NowтАжwhat Is your nameтАжRajeshтАжyou saidтАж
RAJESH: yes yesтАжyes..
LUCY: Let me talk to the person and then I will give your numberтАжand then you can talk after that….
RAJESH: YesтАжI am just waitingтАжI am waiting..
LUCY:┬а Pardon?
RAJESH: I am waiting.
LUCY:┬а And listenтАжpleaseтАжplease..they are very big people…if you are not sureтАжthen donтАЩt pursue.┬а
RAJESH: OkayтАжdone…done.
This sting by Jan ki Baat, exposed how the whole racket is operating the tasks and making it successful too. Demonetization is marked as one of the important parts of IndiaтАЩs history.
It was the time which was seen as a killer for corruption. But these people managed to convert the money and it is clear that a whole chain of powerful people worked. We are chasing every link to this chain. And we will update you soon.
