It was an ordinary evening in the first week of October when a middle-aged man walked into a small stationery shop operating in the Kuruppanpady area and asked for half a packet of cigarettes and a matchbox, costing around `60. He handed over a `500 note, explaining that he didn’t have smaller change. The shopkeeper Vinoj, a resident of Kuttikuzhi, who also lacked change, turned to a nearby auto-rickshaw driver at the adjacent auto taxi stand to break the note and returned the balance to the customer.
The next morning, however, the same auto driver returned, distressed. He informed Vinoj that the `500 note he had exchanged the previous evening was counterfeit and that he had faced trouble at a petrol pump when he tried to use it. Though the shopkeeper had done nothing wrong, he felt responsible and refunded the amount to the driver to spare him the loss. Later, he placed the counterfeit note back into the cash drawer, and his mind replayed the encounter as he tried to recall every detail of the man who had handed it to him.
A few days later, the same man returned to Vinoj’s shop — this time buying a notebook, a comb, and a cigarette worth around `90. He once again handed over a `500 note and collected `410 in change. Alert from his earlier experience, Vinoj carefully observed the man’s face but concealed his suspicion, acting as though nothing was amiss.
After the customer left, Vinoj compared the new note with the counterfeit one he had kept aside — and to his shock, both were identical. Convinced the man was circulating fake currency, Vinoj quietly followed him on foot and saw him visiting nearby shops, purchasing inexpensive items, and collecting change before slipping away.
Vinoj then spoke with a fellow shopkeeper in the area, who confirmed that the same man had given him a `500 note as well. Reassuring his peers to stay calm and avoid any trouble, Vinoj immediately approached the Kuruppampady police to report the incident.
“Based on the shop owner’s statement, we registered a case and immediately informed Ernakulam rural police chief M Hemalatha. Considering the seriousness of the incident, a special investigation team was constituted under the direction of the Superintendent of Police,” says Sam Jose, the then Kuruppampady police station SHO and the case’s investigating officer.
The probe team — comprising sub-inspectors Ibrahimkutty, Manoj, and Baiju Paul, along with SCPOs Noufal and Jijo — began an intensive but discreet investigation to prevent the suspect from going into hiding.
They gathered CCTV footage, recorded detailed statements from shopkeepers, and verified whether other traders had been similarly duped, alerting them to remain cautious against such fraud.
“Through scientific investigation, we managed to identify the suspect and found his details in the police history sheet records. Acting on credible intelligence, we traced the individual named Abdul Rasheed, 62, a native of Pathanapuram in Kollam, and located his hideout in Ernakulam district and arrested him after a daring operation,” says Sam.
Adding further, inspector Stepto John of Kuruppampady police station says that several counterfeit `500 notes were recovered from Rasheed, along with the money he had obtained through fraudulent transactions and equipment used for printing fake currency.
“Rasheed’s method was simple yet deceptive. He would carry a few counterfeit `500 notes, purchase low-priced items worth under `100, and pocket the genuine cash he received as change. If a shopkeeper identified the note as fake, he would immediately act innocent — pretending to be a victim himself — and escape the situation by handing over a real note,” says Stepto.
Rasheed was found to be involved in several similar fake currency and fraud cases registered at different police stations across the state.
“We are in the process of finalising the charge sheet to submit before the court,” he adds. Meanwhile, the accused has since been remanded in judicial custody.