THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: People in coastal areas were the primary targets of the fake note racket from Attingal which was busted by the police on Thursday, a probe into the seizure has revealed.
“A bulk of the fake notes were circulated in coastal areas on the instructions of Shameer, a resident of Kunnamangalam in Kozhikode, the fourth accused. This was done to avoid detection, as the members of the racket felt using the notes in the city would easily expose them,” said a police officer. “The fake notes were also spent at beverage outlets and given to migrant labourers,” the officer said.
Attingal DySP KA Vidyadharan said the probe would pick up pace only after police got custody of the four accused persons who were arrested by the Attingal police and are currently in judicial custody.
“We have to cover a lot of aspects in the case. We are awaiting scientific evidence such as call details of the accused to determine the extent and reach of the racket. So far, the probe is hinging on the statements given by the accused. However, we cannot take their statements at face value,” Vidyadharan said.
Contradictory statements
Police officers said the accused persons had criminal antecedents and were misleading investigators by giving contradictory statements and lying.
“One of the accused persons, Abdul Vahab, has served five years in jail in ganja-related case. Unni, who was arrested by the Feroke police from Kunnamangalam, and Shameer also have criminal antecedents. They know how to hold out during interrogation. Hence, we are awaiting call details and other scientific evidence,” said a police officer.
Modus operandi
The accused used to provide fake notes of Rs 3 lakh face value for every Rs 1 lakh of genuine currency. They also charged Rs 20,000 as commission for exchanging Rs 1 lakh of genuine currency.
Though the police feel the case does not have any national or international ramification — as the notes seized were of inferior quality — they are still waiting to get custody of the accused to arrive at a conclusion.
“The fake notes can easily be identified. If they get wet, their colour changes significantly. Members of the racket did not replicate the security features present in original notes. Instead, they simply took colour printouts. In fact, the case cannot be termed a ‘counterfeit currency’ case. Rather, it is fake note seizure case,” said a senior officer in the Thiruvananthapuram rural police.
“Still, the roots of the racket will be thoroughly probed to identify the persons involved in the crime. We have got a few names and their details are being verified,” said a police officer.