Fake Currency Victims Turn Conmen, 7 Held

CHENNAI: A seven-member gang, which was part of a fake currency racket suspected to be run by a Nigerian in New Delhi, has been arrested by the City Police.

Speaking to reporters, Joint Commissioner of Police K Shanmugavel said the gang led by Nandakumar (44), a resident of Perungalathur, got acquainted with John Geoffrey Morris, a  Nigerian living in New Delhi, following an email conversation in which the latter promised him a huge amount of foreign currencies in return for a few lakhs of Indian rupees.

“Nandakumar, a trader who incurred heavy losses in stationery business, along with six others, gave `25 lakh in portions, as requested by John, who claimed that the money was meant to be paid to several agencies including Customs and Excise departments to handle the said fortune,” said another senior police official.

John had told Nandakumar that the currency notes, coated with a special chemical, would appear like plain black paper to the naked eye.

They would have to be treated with a special chemical mixture in a dark room to bring them to their original form, he had said.

Believing him, Nandakumar, who witnessed the process in person, also learnt how to do it. He brought with him wads of black papers, believing them to be currencies of  various countries such as Congo, Brazil, Turkmenistan, US, Russia, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

However, upon returning to Chennai, he discovered that the other wads were mere black paper and did not turn into currencies as claimed by John.

Realising that he was conned, Nandakumar decided to make up for the loss by targeting gullible persons with the same modus operandi. He would introduce them to John, who also promised him and his aides a cut in the subsequent catches.