Tehsil Police arrested two men from West Bengal (WB) with fake currency notes during late-night patrolling near Mayo Hospital on Tuesday. The arrested men have been identified as Jaminarul Hussain Lokman Sheikh Hussain (27), a resident of Sadipur, Malda, and Azimtanu Sheikh (29), a resident of Dulalgand, Malda. Both belong to Malda district of West Bengal, which has previously been flagged for its involvement in fake currency circulation. Around midnight on Tuesday, a patrolling team of Tehsil Police Station grew suspicion on two men roaming near Mayo Hospital. The duo was stopped for questioning.

 

Initially, the two men claimed they had come to Nagpur in search of some work. However, on checking their belongings, police found 243 fake currency notes of Rs 500 denomination hidden in a plastic bag. Considering this quantity, the cops took them into custody for further investigation. During interrogation, the two men told police that they had boarded the Geetanjali Express from Howrah on Monday with an intention of theft. During the journey, they allegedly stole a passenger’s bag, which contained the fake currency notes, and got off at Nagpur Railway Station on Tuesday morning around 10 am. They spent the day roaming in the city and were planning to return to Howrah after dinner. The currency notes looked almost identical to real ones, raising fears of a well-organised fake currency racket. The police have registered a case under Sections 179, 180, and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) against the two accused.

 

On Wednesday, both were produced in the court, which granted five days of police custody. The arrest was made by WPI Shubhangi Deshmukh, along with PSI Rahul Wadhwe, Sheikh Rasul, ASI Rajesh Thakur, and constables Firoz Khan, Vinod Kature, Pawan Sakharkar, and Sandeep Shirfule. Police are also checking if the fake currency notes were printed locally or brought from across the border, and whether the accused are part of a larger inter-state or international gang. Fake currency is believed to be brought into India from across the border. Earlier, such operations were run from Nepal, but after tighter security measures there, the activity shifted to Bangladesh. Currently, fake notes are being supplied from Bangladesh to various parts of the country.

 

In Bangladesh, poor labourers are used as couriers. They are given the task of carrying fake currency notes across the border into India. Brokers in West Bengal then ‘sell’ these fake notes at half the price. For example, by paying Rs 1 lakh, one receives fake notes worth Rs 2 lakh. The counterfeit notes are made so skillfully that an ordinary person cannot easily tell the difference. The gang is using labourers, especially from West Bengal, to circulate fake currency notes. These labourers often distribute the fake notes in small weekly markets, where verification is rare.