Mumbai: The city crime branch has arrested a 45-year-old man from Tamil Nadu in connection with a fake currency racket operating in the city. Recently, the crime branch had arrested a courier carrying fake currency with a face value of Rs 1.28 lakh at Antop Hill. The courier led the crime branch to Saravanan Vaniar, a resident of Tirupattur in Tamil Nadu, who was allegedly printing fake currency notes in his house.
On March 3, Unit 4 of the crime branch arrested Bhaskar Natar, 43, with counterfeit currency worth Rs 1.28 lakh. During interrogation, Natar told the crime branch officer that he was only the courier and the notes had been given to him by Vaniar to deliver to a man in Mumbai. Natar had came to Mumbai for the hearing of an attempt-to-robbery case registered against him in 2011.
A crime branch team then raided Vaniar's house in Tamil Nadu on Monday and seized 1,476 notes in Rs 500 denomination and 85 notes in Rs 200 denomination, with a total face value of Rs 7.55 lakh. A printer, scanner and other materials required to make counterfeit currency were also seized from his residence.
After the seizure, Vaniar was arrested and produced before the local court. He has currently been brought to the city on transit remand, said a crime branch officer.
