Police seize 2,070 Rs 500 notes while probing fake currency racket, teams sent to UP to trace manufacturers | Pune News
The Pune city police have recovered as many as 2,070 fake Indian currency notes (FICN) of Rs 500 denomination while probing a fake currency racket busted in October 2024.
So far, police have arrested five people and probe teams have been dispatched to Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh (UP) for further investigation, said a press release issued by Deputy Commissioner of Police Smarthana Patil on Thursday.
Police identified the five accused in the case as Nilesh Hiranand Virkar (33) of Chinchwad, Saifan Kayyum Patel (26), Afzal Shah (19) and Shahid Qureshi (25) of Kopar Khairane in Navi Mumbai and Shahfahad alias Sonu Feroz Ansari (22) of Nalasopara in Palghar district.
According to the press release, policemen Amol Pawar and Mahesh Mandlik of Sahkarnagar police station nabbed Nilesh Virkar while he was moving suspiciously near the Padmavati bus stop on the Pune Satara road on October 8 last year.
During searches, police recovered a bundle of 250 FICN of 500 denomination from his pocket. Virkar’s interrogation revealed that he was trying to circulate the fake currency in the market.
An FIR was lodged against him at the Sahkarnagar police station as per Section 180 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). During further investigation by assistant police inspector Sagar Patil, it was revealed that accused Virkar had procured the fake currency notes from Saifan, Afzal and Shahid in Kopar Khairane.
Police arrested the three people and their interrogation revealed that accused Ansari had supplied the fake currency notes to Shahid Qureshi. A police team arrested Ansari from Nalasopara on October 25.
The five accused were later sent to judicial custody. Police said the accused were mainly involved in circulating fake currency notes in the market, especially during night hours.
Based on fresh leads obtained during the probe, the police again took accused Ansari into custody last week and raided a spot in Palghar,where more fake currency notes were seized.
Police said Ansari had procured these fake currency notes from Delhi and Ghaziabad in UP. Accordingly, a police team has been dispatched to Ghaziabad to investigate further, the press release stated.
“We have so far seized a total of 2,070 FICN of 500 denomination, amounting to Rs 10.35 lakhs. Attempts are on to trace the persons who manufactured these notes. Meanwhile, we have sent the fake notes to the Nashik currency notes press and its report is awaited,” said senior police inspector Chhagan Kapase of the Sahkarnagar police station.
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