Pune Police on Thursday arrested three persons for duping a businessman of Rs 5 lakh by posing as a minister in the Uttar Pradesh government.
According to the police, the accused persons duped a 54-year-old local businessman by enticing him with high-quality fake currency notes. "They posed as a UP Minister, MLA and their support staff," an officer of Pune Police said.
The racket was busted by the Wanowrie division of Pune police after the 54-year-old filed a complaint against the gang.
Demonstration of how to make counterfeit currency notes
The complainant said the gang showed him a demonstration of how to make counterfeit currency notes.
"The accused offered to give the complainant, a businessman, three times the face value of the counterfeit notes in exchange for Rs 5 lakh," Balasaheb Pathare, the officer-in-charge, Wanowrie Police Station, said, adding that after receiving Rs 5 lakh from the businessman, they vanished.
"The accused were trying to trap another person using the same modus operandi but nabbed before it," said the officer. The trio were arrested and booked under Indian Penal Code sections 420 (cheating), 120B (conspiracy) and relevant sections of the Arms Act.
3 out of 5 held
The officer further informed that of the gang of five members, three were arrested while a manhunt is underway for the other two members.
Accused gang members have been identified as Rupali Raut, Sanjay Kumar Pandey, Vikas Kumar Rawat, Sameer alias Vishal and Ashok Patil, the police said.
Further details are awaited.
