New Delhi, Dec 8 (IANS) With the arrest of a key supplier along with his associate, the sleuths of Delhi Police’s Special Cell have busted an international syndicate involved in supplying fake Indian currency notes (FICN) across the country. The syndicate used to smuggle in the FICNs after receiving orders from their ‘godfathers’ sitting across the borders.
The syndicate members were using the India-Bangladesh and India-Nepal borders to get these FICNs into the country, said the officials.
The police have recovered fine quality FICNs with a face value of Rs 1,97,500 in denomination of Rs 500 from the accused identified as Mabia Khatoon (35), a resident of Malda district in West Bengal and her associate, Munish Ahmed (54), a resident of Khanpur in the national capital.
The duo had already supplied FICNs worth Rs 40 lakhs in Delhi during the last two years.
According to PS Kushwah, the Deputy Commissioner of Police (Special Cell), on December 7 a tip off was received regarding two members of the cartel indulging in circulation of FICNs in India from from the Indo-Bangladesh border through Malda.
“Acting on the tip-off, a police team laid a trap and both Mabia and Munish were nabbed near Anand Vihar Railway Station. The packet Mabia gave to Munish had FICNs in it,” said Kushwah.
“On searching, FICNs with a face value of Rs 1,00,000 were recovered from Munish whereas FICNs equivalent to Rs 97,500 were recovered from Mabia. The recovered currency notes are in denomination of Rs 500,” said the official.
Kushwah said the FICNs are of such fine quality that it is difficult to distinguish them from the original with a naked eye.
On interrogation, Mabia had disclosed that she had procured the consignment of FICNs from a person at Malda in West Bengal and she had come to Delhi to deliver it to Munish.
She had brought 10 consignments of FICN and delivered them to Munish Ahmed in the past two years.
Munish had been supplying the fake currency in Delhi-NCR and Uttar Pradesh for the last five years.
“Large scale seizures of good & high quality FICN and arrest of suppliers involved in cross-border smuggling and further supply of these notes in the country indicate continued attempts by foreign entities to push in FICN across the Indo-Bangladesh and Indo-Nepal borders, said Kushwah.
“Further interrogation of the arrested duo is underway to identify the linkages including source of supply of FICNs in the country and to apprehend the other members of the cartel,” Kushwah added.
–IANS
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