In a significant breakthrough, the sleuths of the Anti-Terrorists Squad of Uttar Pradesh have arrested two criminals, including the mastermind, of a gang involved in a major counterfeit racket.

The prime accused, hailing from Mirganj police station area in Siwan district of Bihar, and his accomplice were arrested by the ATS in Gorakhpur on Sunday morning.

Fake Indian stamp papers of the value of approximately Rs10,00,000 were recovered from him. The recovered items include counterfeit Indian stamp papers of Rs 6,94,000 and fake stamp tickets valued at Rs 72,000. Additionally, three mobile phones and a four-wheeler (Creta) were seized from the suspect. He was wanted by the Cantonment police of Gorakhpur and carried a reward of Rs 25,000 on his arrest.

The operation highlights the ongoing efforts by law enforcement agencies to curb the illegal circulation of counterfeit stamp papers and tickets and maintain the integrity of legal processes.

According to an official communique, the UP ATS was receiving intelligence that a syndicate was operating in the state and it was printing counterfeit Indian stamp papers and counterfeit Indian stamp tickets from Bihar and smuggling them to various districts of the country and the state through the associates of their gang.

When the said intelligence was developed through various means, it was found that Nawab Arzoo alias Lalu, a resident of Bihar, along with some of his associates, had formed an interstate gang and printed counterfeit Indian stamps and tickets and supplied them to various districts of Uttar Pradesh.

The ATS came to know that Nawab Arzoo was going to come to Gorakhpur district on Sunday with some of his associates to supply counterfeit Indian stamp papers and tickets.

On confirmation of the information, a trap was laid and Nawab Arzoo alias Lalu, and his associate Raju Kumar Yadav were arrested by ATS Uttar Pradesh from Gorakhpur.

Nawab Arzoo alias Lalu is a shrewd criminal who has previously been jailed in various police stations for smuggling counterfeit stamp papers.

He was also wanted in FIR No. 14/2024 under sections 255, 258, 259, 260, 419, 420, 467, 468, 471, 474, 120B of the IPC, by the Cantonment police station of Gorakhpur. The Gorakhpur police had announced a reward of Rs 25,000 on information leading to his arrest. The suspect is also charged under sections 178(3), 179, and 180 of the BNS 2023 at the same station.

He was involved in smuggling counterfeit Indian stamp papers and stamps in various districts of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Delhi states. Other active members of this gang, identified as Kamruddin, Sahabzade,  Aish Mohammad, Ravindra Dixit, Nandlal Prasad, and Santosh Gupta, have already been arrested and sent to jail by the Gorakhpur district police for smuggling of forged Indian stamp papers and stamps.

Other active members of the gang are on the radar of the ATS.

Further legal action against the arrested accused is being taken by the Cantonment police of Gorakhpur district.