Inter-state fake currency racket busted, five held
Rs 7.17-lakh counterfeit notes, printers, laptops, tablets seized
In a major breakthrough against organised financial crime, the UT police have busted an inter-state fake Indian currency network involved in printing and circulating counterfeit notes across multiple states. Five accused were arrested and 1,777 fake currency notes worth Rs 7.17 lakh were seized along with vehicles, printers, laptops, tablets and other sophisticated equipment used for producing counterfeit currency.
The operation was carried out by the Sector 11 crime branch following intelligence inputs. The racket had links spanning Delhi, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Jammu & Kashmir, the police said.
Tip-off received near ISBT-43
According to the police, the case originated on December 19, when a Crime Branch team patrolling near the ISBT-43 received information about Avinash Kumar, a resident of Jammu & Kashmir, wanted by Rajasthan Police. He was staying in a paying guest accommodation in Kajheri village, Sector 52.
Acting swiftly, the police conducted searches at various PGs and hotels, leading to the arrest of Avinash. A bag containing counterfeit currency sheets and notes of Rs 500, Rs 200 and Rs 50 denominations was seized. His accomplice, Satyam Vishwakarma, was also arrested from the same premises.
A search of the accused’s room yielded fake currency worth Rs 1.01 lakh, stamping foils and printing material. On December 20, based on Satyam’s disclosure, a white car parked nearby was searched, resulting in the recovery of fake notes worth Rs 4.76 lakh.
Further disclosures led to the arrest of Sandeep from Mahendragarh (Haryana) and Abdulla and Shahzad, both natives of Saharanpur district in Uttar Pradesh. Additional recoveries included multiple printers, laptops, a tablet, bond paper and other printing equipment.
Modus operandi
The accused came into contact through Instagram and Telegram, where videos and photographs of printed currency were shared to lure buyers. Fake notes were typically exchanged at a 1:4 ratio, though rates varied. The counterfeit currency was transported via courier services or delivered manually, and often mixed with genuine notes to evade detection.
