PATNA: Sleuths of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) conducted simultaneous raids in Bihar’s Bhagalpur and Bhojpur districts on Wednesday in connection with the circulation of counterfeit Indian currency notes in the state. Documents related to transactions of money and electronic devices were recovered during the operation.
An NIA team reached Bhagalpur early in the morning and carried out searches in the house of Nagre Saddam, a software engineer currently lodged in the Beur central jail in Patna. The raiding team recovered Indian currency notes, suspected to be counterfeit, from Saddam’s house located at Bhikhanpur under Ishachak police station limits.
Another team conducted a search on the residential premises of two close associates of Nazre Saddam’s in Bhojpur districts. Authoritative sources said that raids were conducted at Koran Dihtri village under the Sahar police station and Chhatarpura village under the Chauri police station limit in the district.
According to police sources, the house of an Urdu school teacher was searched by the NIA team at Chhatarpura village. The teacher in question has close links with Nazre Saddam, who was arrested for his involvement in fake currency notes in September 2024 in the East Champaran district, close to the Indo-Nepal border. The residential premises of two suspects--Mohammad Nehal and Mohammad Waris—were searched by the raiding team.
During the investigation, it came to light that Nazre used to supply counterfeit Indian currency to those operating in Delhi and Jammu and Kashmir. He also enjoyed close relationships with fake currency dealers of the Anantnag area of Jammu and Kashmir, who had connections with terrorist outfits as well. Mohammad Sarfaraz is one among them.
Nazre’s links with a Nepal-based dealer Santosh Sahni also came to the fore. Sources in NIA said that some important documents related to money transactions and electronic devices were seized during Wednesday’s operation. The NIA officials engaged in the operation, however, refused to disclose about the seizures. Later, the NIA team quizzed Mohammad Nisiuzzama, father of Nazre Saddam, at his residence in Bhagalpur.