Jalandhar, January 9
The police has arrested Jagtar Singh and his two accomplices from Phillaur for possessing fake currency worth Rs 45 lakh. Earlier also they were arrested with counterfeit currency worth Rs 4.72 lakh on January 1, 2004 but the accused was out on bail in the ongoing case and was arrested again.
The currency is in two denominations of Rs 1,000 notes amounting to Rs 30 lakh and Rs 500 notes amounting to Rs 15 lakh. Inspector-General Hardeep Singh Dhillon told reporters about the recovery of the amount. The three persons arrested in this connection are Jagtar Singh, a resident of Billi Chao in Nakodar, his wife Surinder Kaur and their driver Jagroop Singh, resident of Malsian. The arrests were made after specific inputs form the Intelligence Bureau Unit Amritsar, said Mr Dhillon.
The accused went Thailand on January 4 and returned on January 7.
The police intercepted the vehicle in which they were traveling near Phillaur yesterday morning. The three accused were arrested and search in the presence of an executive magistrate led to the recovery of the Rs 45 lakh counterfeit currency from the vehicle. A case has been registered by the Phillaur police in this regard.
Accused Jagtar had come in contact with Pakistani national Shiekh Muhammed while he was in Dubai due to a case against him filed by the owners of his company, said the SSP Ishwar Singh. The SSP said that the accused used to plough his 35 to 40 acres of land as Sheikh Muhammed’s brother Ahmed Muhammed, is a resident of Karachi in Pakistan, added IG Hardeep Singh Dhillon. Shiekh Muhammed used to collect counterfeit currency through his brother Ahmed Muhammed and handed it over to accused Jagtar Singh in Bankok. The accused had left Indian on January 4 to receive another such delivery. The accused was earlier also arrested on January 1, 2004 and a case was registered against him under Sections 489 A/B/C of the IPC in Nakodar Police Station after counterfeit currency of 4.72 lakh was recovered from him. He had been in jail for a year and was out on bail, said IG Dhillon. The gang is said to be active in Doaba region.
