Tea Stall Clue Cracks Fake Currency Racket; 3 Arrested In Indore

Indore (Madhya Pradesh): A major counterfeit currency racket has been uncovered after a team from Gandhi Nagar police station raided a counterfeit note-printing den operating from a rented flat in the Musakhedi area of the city, police said on Friday.

Three people, including the alleged mastermind behind printing the counterfeit notes, were arrested.

Gandhi Nagar police station in-charge Anil Yadav informed Free Press that the arrested suspects have been identified as Deepak Patel, a resident of Depalpur; Sanjay Vaishnav, of Singapore Township; and Ravi Choudhary, a resident of Manpur.

During the search, police seized a currency-printing machine, a laptop, a printer, special paper used for printing fake notes, and counterfeit Rs 200 and Rs 500 notes with a face value of Rs 84,800.

According to the preliminary investigation, the suspects used social media and the internet to learn advanced techniques for printing counterfeit currency notes that closely resembled genuine ones.

Police said the racket was being run from a rented flat. Two of the suspects allegedly helped print the fake notes and circulate them in crowded markets, passing them off as genuine currency.

One of the suspects is on police remand. Officials are trying to trace the supply chain, identify other people involved in the racket, and determine how many fake notes may already have been circulated in the market.

Restaurant owner caught suspect with fake note

Yadav said Deepak Patel was caught by the owner of Sanwariya Restaurant in the Navdapanth area on Thursday.

After having tea and breakfast, Deepak allegedly gave a Rs 200 note to the restaurant owner, who doubted it and found it to be counterfeit. The owner and his employees caught Deepak and handed him over to the police.

During questioning, he revealed the names of his aides. Police then raided the rented flat and arrested the two other suspects there.