Fake currency case: NIA court in Mumbai sentences two Bangladeshis to 10-year imprisonment

New Delhi [India], June 8 : A special National Investigation Agency (NIA) court in Mumbai has sentenced two Bangladeshis to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment in the Thane fake currency case, the agency said on Thursday.

The accused have also been fined Rs 10,000 each under Sections 489C and 489B of Indian Penal Code and Section 16 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.

The accused have been identified as Abdullah Shaikdar and Najmul Hasan, both residents of Khulna, Bangladesh.

High quality counterfeit currency notes of face value of Rs 4,08,000 were being circulated in Maharashtra after being procured from Bangladesh in the case, originally registered by Thane City Police in 2015 on the basis of specific intelligence shared by the Anti-Narcotic Cell, Crime Branch, Thane City.

NIA investigations have revealed that Shaikdar, with the help of five other accused (all residents of Khulna), was circulating the high quality Fake Indian Currency Notes (FICNs) in different parts of Thane district. "Two of his accomplices, including Najmul and one Mohd Sobuj Motur Khan, were arrested," said the NIA.

Initially, the Police, during personal search of the accused, had seized 40 fake notes of the denomination of Rs 1,000. Subsequently, searches of their homes led to the seizure of another 364 fake notes of the same denomination, while four similar notes were seized from three witnesses in the case.

In the course of its investigation, NIA recorded the statements of witnesses, scrutinised mobile records, and collected other documentary evidences to unearth the full conspiracy.

A chargesheet was filed against the accused, and vigorous pursual of the trial over three years finally resulted in the conviction of two accused.