Fake currency racket busted in Delhi, four arrested
The Delhi Police has busted a counterfeit currency preparation unit allegedly being run from a rented room in Patel Nagar by a group that learnt the techniques through online videos and combined printing, die-cutting and graphic-designing skills to make fake notes. Four men have been arrested in connection with the racket, and counterfeit currency with a face value of Rs 18.23 lakh, including finished and semi-finished notes, has been recovered, police said.
The accused allegedly operated the unit from a rented room in Baljeet Nagar, where police recovered printing and processing equipment, a laptop and a hard disk containing software and data related to the preparation of counterfeit notes, they said.
The case came to light on October 1 when police personnel patrolling in Janakpuri noticed a suspicious man attempting to flee on seeing them.
The man was apprehended and identified as Ankit Kumar (25). A search led to the recovery of 250 counterfeit notes of Rs 500 denomination, having a face value of Rs 1.25 lakh, from his possession. An FSL expert examined the notes at the spot and confirmed that they were counterfeit, police said.
A case was registered at Janakpuri police station on October 2.
During interrogation, Ankit allegedly told police that he had obtained the counterfeit notes from Gagandeep Singh alias Manni and Kulwant Singh alias Kake, both residents of Patel Nagar, and was on his way to deliver or sell them.
Acting on the information, police apprehended Gagandeep (31) and Kulwant (44) from Baljeet Nagar on October 2.
A search of their rented room led to the recovery of finished and semi-finished counterfeit currency with a face value of `16,98,800, along with equipment and material allegedly used to prepare the fake notes, police said.
During the investigation, the landlord, Amit (34), was also apprehended. Police said he was aware of the activities in the rented room and later allegedly joined the others in preparing counterfeit currency. Police subsequently arrested him in the case.
According to police, Gagandeep had earlier worked at his maternal uncle’s printing press and had experience in handling printing and die-cutting machinery, while Kulwant had knowledge of graphic design and Photoshop. The two allegedly combined their skills to set up the counterfeit currency operation.
They allegedly watched online videos and tutorials to learn techniques for printing and processing fake currency. Amit allegedly provided the premises and subsequently became involved in the operation, while Ankit allegedly procured counterfeit notes for further supply.
Police said Ankit, a Class 12 pass-out who worked as a parking attendant, had allegedly purchased counterfeit Rs 500 notes with a face value of around Rs 2.50 lakh from Gagandeep for Rs 50,000.
Gagandeep allegedly joined the operation after suffering financial losses in online gaming, while Kulwant, who had earlier run a mobile phone shop and worked as a SIM card dealer, had previously been arrested in 2012 in a case relating to issuance of SIM cards using forged documents, police said.
Amit, who studied up to Class 10, had allegedly rented the room to Gagandeep and Kulwant in July this year for Rs 3,000 per month before becoming involved in the operation.
Besides the counterfeit currency, police recovered a laptop and hard disk containing software and data related to fake note printing, along with screen-printing frames, watermark dies, cotton fibre sheets, security-thread material, heat-laminating machines, colour printers, printing inks, a stepper, a cutter and other equipment.
Police said the total counterfeit currency recovered had a face value of Rs 18,23,800, comprising Rs 1.25 lakh recovered from Ankit and Rs 16,98,800 in finished and semi-finished notes recovered from the rented premises.
Further investigation is underway to trace the complete source-to-receiver chain and identify persons and places involved in the procurement, preparation, storage and distribution of the counterfeit currency.
