BENGALURU: The Chamarajpet police have arrested seven people from Tamil Nadu and Telangana for allegedly printing and circulating counterfeit Rs 500 currency notes. The police have recovered 4,337 fake notes with a face value of Rs 21.68 lakh, along with a car, eight mobile phones and equipment allegedly used to print the currency. Four other accused are currently absconding.
The investigation began on September 14, when the police received information that counterfeit notes were being circulated from a car near a petrol bunk close to the Mysuru Road Flyover down-ramp. Acting on a tip-off, a police team raided the spot and apprehended two people.
The two accused were produced before a court on September 15 and taken into police custody for 10 days. During interrogation, they allegedly disclosed the involvement of nine other associates and provided information about their whereabouts.
Police apprehended two suspects in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, on September 16 and recovered two mobile phones from them. Three more suspects were arrested in Ranga Reddy district, Telangana, on September 18, with four mobile phones seized from them.
The accused have been identified as Murugan, 52, Govindan, 43, Bakradh, 38, and Sharavanan, 47, all from Tamil Nadu; and Sathyam, 47, Lakshman, 46, and Krishna, 43, from Telangana. When the police arrested the two accused near the flyover’s ramp, they recovered 3,000 counterfeit currency notes.
During further interrogation, police traced additional counterfeit currency and the printing setup allegedly used by the gang. Between September 24 and 25, officers recovered more counterfeit notes from the residence of one of the accused in Krishnagiri district, Tamil Nadu. Police also seized a computer, laptop, laminator, holograms, photocopy machine allegedly used to print counterfeit currency.