NEW DELHI : Delhi Police have arrested two foreign nationals over their alleged involvement in the circulation of counterfeit US dollars in the national capital, an official said on Saturday.
The accused, identified as Mirodial Umarov (30) and Farrukh Rasulov (33), both Uzbekistan nationals were nabbed when they were trying to exchange 100 USD (US dollar) bills for Indian rupees.
DCP (DK Mahla) said the operation unfolded when one Kapil Kumar, owner of Easy Forex, noticed suspicious behaviour from the two foreign nationals. “They (suspects) had approached his shop seeking to convert 100 USD bills into Indian rupees. Upon closer inspection, Kumar suspected the authenticity of the notes and alerted the police patrolling team nearby,” the DCP said.
The police apprehended the suspects, who tried to flee the scene. According to cops, a search revealed a significant amount of counterfeit US currency, a total of USD 12,000 in denominations of USD 100 bills.
The police registered a case at Connaught Place Police Station. and the investigation revealed that the accused had arrived in India on April 15, this year, and were residing at a hotel in Paharganj. “The accused confessed to their involvement in a previous incident on April 16 where they had successfully exchanged counterfeit USD 7000 for `5,80,000 from another exchange,” the DCP added.