KOCHI: The NIA court on Saturday awarded 10 years’ rigorous imprisonment (RI) to the first accused in the sensational Nedumbassery fake Indian currency note (FICN) case, in which high-quality counterfeit notes from Pakistan were seized while being smuggled to India via the Cochin International Airport Ltd (CIAL) in 2013. The court also slapped a fine of `75,000 on the convict.
NIA Court Judge M Nandakumar had exonerated three other accused persons in the case. The case relates to the seizure of 1,950 FICNs, each having a face value of `500, from a Malappuram native by the Customs at the Nedumbassery airport on January 26, 2013.
The sole convict in the case, Neelanchery native Abid Chullikulavan - who was the carrier of the fake currency - was awarded 10-year RI and `50,000 for the offence under section 489 B of IPC. The court also awarded him 5 years’ RI and slapped a fine of `25,000 under section 489 C.
The sentences of imprisonment will run concurrently. He was later shifted to Viyyur central jail.
The other accused persons - Mohammed Haneefa of Perinjanam, Thrissur; Abdul Salam alias Podi Salam of Wandoor, Malappuram, and Antony Das of Valparai, Tamil Nadu - were exonerated by the court. Kunjumohammed alias Kunjutty, a native of Manjeri, had turned approver in the case.
Though the NIA had invoked UAPA charges against the accused, the Kerala High Court lifted them claiming production or smuggling of high-quality FICN in India committed prior to the enforcement of the amendments made to Section 15 of the UAPA was not punishable as a ‘terrorist act’ mentioned under Section 18 of the Act.
Aftab Bhatki, a key member of Dawood Ibrahim’s organised crime syndicate, is the fifth accused in the case. He is still absconding and the NIA has approached Interpol to track him down. According to the NIA, Antony Das allegedly invested `4 lakh for obtaining the counterfeit notes, and routed the money to Kunjumohammed, who was in West Asia during October 2012.
Later, the accused contacted Aftab Bhatki, who was in Pakistan, and arranged the counterfeits. Kunjumohammed, with the help of Abdul Salam, arranged Abid Chullikulavan to smuggle the fake notes to India.