A Karnataka man was sentenced to over three years in prison for his involvement in a fake Indian currency notes smuggling syndicate. The court acknowledged the serious economic implications of such crimes.
India
-Krishna Kripa
A
special
court
of
the
National
Investigation
Agency
(NIA)
sentenced
a
man
to
over
three
years
in
prison
for
his
role
in
a
fake
currency
smuggling
operation.
Radhakrishna
Addappa
from
Karnataka
admitted
guilt
and
received
a
sentence
from
Special
NIA
Judge
Chakor
Baviskar.
The
court
also
imposed
a
fine
of
Rs
2,000
on
him.
Since
Addappa
has
already
spent
over
three
years
in
jail,
he
is
eligible
for
time
served.
image
A
Karnataka
man
was
sentenced
to
over
three
years
in
prison
for
his
involvement
in
a
fake
Indian
currency
notes
smuggling
syndicate.
The
court
acknowledged
the
serious
economic
implications
of
such
crimes.
During
the
trial,
Addappa
faced
charges
under
various
sections
of
the
Indian
Penal
Code
(IPC),
including
criminal
conspiracy
and
dealing
with
counterfeit
currency.
He
was
the
third
person
convicted
in
this
case.
Addappa
sought
leniency,
expressing
remorse
and
stating
it
was
his
first
offence
of
this
kind.
The
prosecution,
led
by
Special
Public
Prosecutor
Vinit
Kulkarni,
highlighted
the
seriousness
of
the
crime
but
deferred
to
the
court’s
judgment.
Fake
Currency
Smuggling
Case
Details
The
NIA’s
investigation
revealed
that
Addappa
had
transferred
fake
currency
to
an
accomplice
at
a
KSRTC
Bus
Stand
in
Gauribidnur,
located
in
Karnataka’s
Chikkaballapura
district.
This
information
was
part
of
a
statement
released
by
the
investigative
agency.
The
case
involved
the
seizure
of
counterfeit
notes
with
a
face
value
of
Rs
82,000
in
Rs
500
denominations
back
in
2019.
In
January
2020,
Addappa
was
among
three
individuals
charged
by
the
NIA
based
on
incriminating
digital
and
documentary
evidence
gathered
during
their
investigation.
Co-accused
Jasim
alias
Wasim
Salim
Shaikh
and
Ishak
Khan
were
previously
sentenced
by
the
special
court
to
five
years,
seven
months
and
ten
days,
and
five
years
of
rigorous
imprisonment
respectively.
Each
was
fined
Rs
5,000.
Judicial
Considerations
and
Sentencing
The
court
took
into
account
all
aspects
of
the
case
before
sentencing
Addappa
to
three
years
in
prison.
It
noted
that
there
were
no
previous
records
of
similar
offences
against
him.
The
prosecution
acknowledged
that
such
crimes
pose
a
threat
to
India’s
economy
but
left
sentencing
to
the
court’s
discretion.
Addappa’s
conviction
marks
another
step
in
addressing
counterfeit
currency
operations
that
undermine
economic
stability.
His
admission
of
guilt
and
lack
of
prior
offences
were
factors
considered
by
the
court
when
determining
his
sentence.
The
NIA
continues
its
efforts
to
dismantle
networks
involved
in
counterfeit
currency
distribution,
aiming
to
protect
the
country’s
financial
integrity.
This
case
highlights
the
ongoing
challenges
authorities
face
in
combating
such
illegal
activities.
With
inputs
from
PTI
