The city police today seized Rs 1.64 crore from a house in Regimental Bazaar of Secunderabad which was gutted in a fire accident.
Fire broke out in the house suddenly today spreading smoke to the surrounding houses. The alarmed local residents informed the fire services department, and fire tenders reached the spot and brought the fire under control.
The police suspect that the money seized is hawala money.
The police also seized huge quantities of gold and silver ornaments from the house.
The owner of the house, a Srinivas, is not in the city currently. The police say that he has gone to his place of work.
The police said that Srinivas was working as a DGM in a company, and that he was also executing government electricity contracts.
The police informed the Income Tax department officials about the seizure of money, and the latter reached the spot and started an inquiry. They have now focused their attention on the owner of the house Srinivas.
There were no casualties in the fire accident as there was nobody in the house at the time of the accident. The police however said that heavy economic losses took place in the accident. They are also suspecting that the fire was set deliberately by somebody.