Ex-Nepal royal family linked to fake currency racket

Sources in the Anti-Terrorist Squad claimed that the confessions made by the arrested people have even given leads to the nexus of the fake currency operators with Nepal’s erstwhile king Gyanendra’s family.

The arrest on Sunday of Vicky Manihar at Rupadiha, over 150 km from here, followed a similar crackdown by the Madhya Pradesh ATS in Bhopal from where two young men were nabbed earlier last week. “Leads provided by them brought MP sleuths to UP, where the local ATS joined them to get hold of yet another man with close connections with the ousted Nepal royal family,” a top police officer said.

Atiq alias Rana and Rajesh Gupta were picked up in Bhopal with fake Indian currency of the order of Rs 111,000, two sophisticated mobile phones, two ATM cards and two diaries. Manihar, who was held at Rupadiha, is the son of Majid Manihar, a close lieutenant of slain Nepali mafia don turned MP Mirza Dilshad Beg.

“Even though Vicky Manihar was found in possession of just Rs 5,000, he was suspected to be among the kingpins of the racket in fake Indian currency believed to be manufactured in Pakistan and routed into India via Kathmandu,” the officer said.