Four Arrested For Manufacturing Fake Currency Notes Worth Rs 5.64 Lakh In Pune

Pune: Four men have been arrested for allegedly manufacturing counterfeit Indian currency notes and circulating them in Pune and other areas. The Vishrambaug police have seized 1,128 fake Rs500 notes with a face value of Rs5.64 lakh, along with a colour printer and other equipment allegedly used to produce the counterfeit currency.

The case came to light after Police Constables Sachin Ahivale and Shailesh Surve received information that a suspect would arrive near Mahatma Phule Mandai with counterfeit currency notes. They alerted Police Sub-Inspector Satyawan Gend, who informed Senior Police Inspector Navnath Jagtap. Following instructions from senior officers, a team laid a trap near Mhasoba Temple on an internal road behind Mahatma Phule Mandai in Shukrawar Peth.

On Oct 14, around 4.45 pm, the police detained Salman Jainuddin Raje (30), a resident of Ambegaon, Kedgaon, in Daund taluka of Pune district. A search allegedly led to the recovery of 805 counterfeit Rs500 notes with a face value of Rs4,02,500.

Based on a complaint lodged by Police Constable Sachin Ahivale, the Vishrambaug police registered a case under Sections 180, 178, 179, 181 and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).

During interrogation, Raje allegedly disclosed the involvement of three accomplices. With prior approval from Deputy Commissioner of Police Krushikesh Rawale and under the guidance of Senior Police Inspector Navnath Jagtap, a police team travelled to Satara and Kolhapur to trace the suspects.

The team, with assistance from local police, detained Shafaj Firoz Ansari (30), a resident of Nalasopara; Vishal Vilas Galande (37), a resident of Surupkhanwadi in Man taluka of Satara district; and Abhijit Raosaheb Kamble (30), a resident of Shirol in Kolhapur district. They were subsequently arrested at Shirol police station in connection with the case.

During the investigation, police seized equipment allegedly used to manufacture counterfeit notes, including an Epson printer, an HP monitor, a Lenovo keyboard and mouse, a Zebronics CPU, an Artis-branded device and other items. The seized equipment is valued at Rs21,100.

Police also recovered 323 counterfeit Rs500 notes, with a face value of Rs1,61,500, from Ansari's residence. With the 805 notes seized from Raje, the total recovery stands at 1,128 counterfeit notes worth Rs5.64 lakh.

The operation was carried out under the guidance of Pune Police Commissioner Amitesh Kumar, Joint Commissioner of Police Sanjay Darade, Additional Commissioner of Police Rajesh Bansode and Deputy Commissioner of Police Krushikesh Rawale, along with other senior officers. Personnel from the Vishrambaug police investigation team participated in the operation.