VIJAYAWADA: A series of counterfeit currency seizures in NTR, Krishna and Guntur districts recently has put the police on high alert, with special teams stepping up surveillance to dismantle organised interstate gangs involved in printing and circulating Fake Indian Currency Notes (FICN).
The recent cases registered in NTR, Krishna and Guntur districts have raised concerns among law enforcement agencies over the growing presence of counterfeit currency networks operating in and around Vijayawada. Police believe these gangs are targeting commercial centres and exploiting crowded public places to push fake notes into circulation.
The concern has intensified following multiple arrests over the past few months. Ibrahimpatnam police recently arrested five persons allegedly involved in circulating counterfeit currency after a trader grew suspicious of the notes offered during a transaction and alerted the police.
During interrogation, investigators found that the accused had been operating from Anantapur and had allegedly circulated fake currency in Hyderabad, Bengaluru and Chennai before attempting to exchange the counterfeit notes in Ibrahimpatnam.
In another case, Krishna Lanka police arrested one person for possessing and circulating fake currency, while Krishna district police arrested four persons in February this year in connection with a counterfeit currency racket.
Guntur police also arrested two accused in a separate case, indicating that multiple gangs may be operating simultaneously in various districts.
Among the recent counterfeit currency cases in AP, the largest seizure was reported by East Godavari police, who busted a sophisticated fake currency racket and recovered counterfeit currency with a face value of Rs 1.06 crore.
It was revealed that the gang had set up a printing unit in Guntur city to print counterfeit currency before distributing it across different districts.
The accused in the case were identified as Chitturi Haribabu (34), Seelam Kedareswara Paripurna Srinivas (35), Cheekatla Yedukondalu (40), all from East Godavari district, and Donepudi Madhu (27) and Karri Manikumar (40) from Guntur district.
These gangs typically pose as customers and attempt to exchange counterfeit currency at wine shops, fuel stations, hotels, restaurants, roadside eateries and other establishments handling large volumes of cash.
Crowded locations such as bus stations, railway stations and ATM kiosks are also believed to be among their preferred targets, where fake notes can be passed without attracting immediate suspicion.
Police sources said special teams have been constituted to identify the entire network behind the counterfeit currency operations.
Surveillance has been intensified at commercial establishments, while investigators are analysing CCTV footage, digital evidence and financial transactions to trace interstate links and identify the source of the fake notes.
Officials suspect that organised gangs are using high-volume cash transactions to introduce counterfeit currency into circulation. “We have urged banks, traders, shopkeepers and business owners to verify security features while accepting high-value cash payments and immediately inform the nearest police station if counterfeit notes are suspected,” said NTR district Commissioner of Police (CP) SV Rajashekhara Babu.
Senior police officers believe sustained intelligence-based operations, interstate coordination and public cooperation will be crucial in dismantling counterfeit currency syndicates and restoring public confidence in cash transactions.
“In addition, we are creating a database of previous offenders either arrested or linked with these gangs and monitoring their activities,” the CP added.
