JOIN USThe Central division police have busted a ring of currency counterfeiters in the City. Fake currencies worth Rs 15,000, all with a face value of Rs 500, have been confiscated.
Acting on a tip-off, the Central division police, led by ACP Nyamegouda of the Ulsoor Gate sub-division raided a building near Abhaya Shopping Complex on H Siddaiah Road and apprehended two men, Minurul Sheik (25) and Sabkhot Sheikh (28), both from Amatulla Nagar, Murshidabad District in West Bengal.
According to police, the two men had been employed as masons at an under-construction building near Bangarappa Gudda, Rajajrajeshwari Nagar as a cover for their operations.
Police said the accused, under interrogation, revealed that a man named Kabiraj Latheef (alias Basar) of Amatulla Nagar had been supplying them with the counterfeit currency on a regular basis. Upon receipt, the pair then circulated the currencies in the market and credited the amount to Kabiraj Latheef's bank account for a nominal commission.
Police revealed that the two had been active in the City for the last five months and that they had credited a sum of at least Rs 15 lakh to Kabiraj's account.
Pattern
The team led by ACP Nyamegouda, which busted the arms racket in the City in September, exposed the currency racket at a lodge in Majestic area and arrested the men — all hailing from the districts in West Bengal, bordering Bangladesh. Counterfeit currency worth Rs 40 lakh and a large cache of arms and ammunition have been confiscated.
Police believe that the case has its roots in the districts bordering Bangladesh — which has a reputation for being a major source of counterfeit money.
Police added that the counterfeit notes are pumped into the country from across the border in a well-oiled operation orchestrated by the Pakistani Inter-Services Intelligence and other agencies.
Sources revealed that a special team from the City has left for West Bengal to investigate the case further.