NEW DELHI: An international syndicate that was involved in the circulation of fake Indian Bangladesh currency notes (FICNs) through the porous India-Bangladesh border was busted and two of its key suppliers were arrested in the national capital along with counterfeit currency amounting to Rs 1.97 lakhs.
The two accused, identified as Mabia Khatoon (35) and Munish Ahmed (54), have already supplied fake Indian currency amounting to more than Rs 40 lakh in Delhi-NCR during the past two years. DCP (Special Cell) P S Kushwah said they had received a piece of information on December 7 regarding the involvement of two members of a cartel that was circulating FICNs in India from the Indo-Bangladesh border through Malda, West Bengal.
“As per information, an active member of the cartel namely Munish Ahmed would receive a consignment of FICNs from his associate beneath the railway overbridge near Anand Vihar Railway Station, Delhi,” the DCP said. Subsequently, a police team was constituted and deployed around the railway overbridge near Anand Vihar, Delhi. When accused Khatoon came under the mentioned railway overbridge and handed over a packet to accused Ahmed, they were immediately cornered by the team of Special Cell.
“On search, FICN amounting to Rs 1 lakh were recovered from accused Munish Ahmed, while fake notes of Rs 97,500 were seized from Mabia Khatoon,” Kushwah stated. He further stated that all the recovered currency notes, in the denomination of Rs 500, were of such fine quality that it was difficult to distinguish them from the original one with the naked eye. Accordingly, a case was registered under relevant sections of law and the accused duo was arrested.
During the interrogation, Mabia Khatoon disclosed that she had procured a recovered consignment of FICNs from a person at Malda in West Bengal and she had come to the capital to deliver the consignment to Munish Ahmed. She further claimed to have brought 10 consignments of FICN amounting to Rs 40 lakh and delivered the same to Munish Ahmed during the past 2 years.
The accused Ahmed, who was also previously found involved in 4 criminal cases of which three were related to the supply of counterfeit currency, disclosed that he has been supplying fake notes in Delhi-NCR and Uttar Pradesh for the past 5 years.