Fake currency racket busted

-Fake currency valuing Rs 25,700 was seized from their possession.

Lokmat News Network

Aurangabad, Sept 15:

The crime branch police busted a racket involved in circulating fake currency notes of Rs 100 denominations in the city.

The crime branch police inspector Avinash Aghav said that the police have arrested six persons, while one is at large. Pundaliknagar police have registered an offence against seven persons.

It so happened that acting on the tip-off, the squad of crime branch’s assistant inspector Manoj Shinde laid a trap near an overhead water tank in Shivajinagar and held Hanumant Navpute (Ghardon in Aurangabad tehsil) and Kiran Kolge (Gadivat in Aurangabad tehsil) at Shivajinagar. They were riding a motorcycle (MH-20-FY-9679).

During the investigation, the duo informed the police that the fake currency is being printed at Dhan Dongaon with the help of Charan Shihre and Prem Shihre (Ghardon). Later on, the police held Santosh Shirsat (Railway Station) and Harun Khan (Baijipura) with 247 fake notes of Rs 100 denominations. The police also seized material valuing Rs 1.40 lakh from the possession of all six accused. The police learnt that the absconding accused Ambadas Sasane was a kingpin in circulating fake currency in the market.

The police team who had taken action also comprises Santosh Sonawane, Chandrakant Gaoli, Ashwaling Honrao, Vishal Patil, Vilas Muthe, Ravindra Kharat, Nitin Deshmukh, Anand Wahul and Ramesh Gaikwad.

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The gang would purchase expensive quality bond paper and obtain colour xerox of the notes and then cut it through a special machine. They had also stocked bottles of machine ink. The business was operated from one shop in Ghardon. The gang had circulated more than Rs 1.5 lakh in the market during the last two months, it is learnt.

Selection of Rs 100 notes

Earlier, the gang was preparing fake currency of Rs 500 notes, but they fear that it would bring them to the notice of the market and the police. Hence as a safety measure, they decided to prepare fake currency of low denomination (Rs 100). Whenever they would need money they would prepare fake currency of amount Rs 10,000 and then bring it to the city for circulation.

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PCR till Sept 18

The judicial magistrate first class (JMFC) S V Charde today awarded police custody remand (PCR) to the six accused till September 18. The assistant government pleader S L Das represented the state government.