New Delhi, Sep 22: Delhi Police have arrested two men in connection with an alleged interstate counterfeit currency network operating across Delhi, Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal, officials said.The investigation began after a private bank in Gandhi Nagar detected 18 counterfeit ₹500 notes in a cash deposit made on August 22.
The deposit was linked to Nafis Ahmed, who told police that the notes had been received from a man identified as Danish during a cash transaction at the market.According to police, Ahmed had accepted around ₹17,200 in cash from Danish for clothes on August 21.
The following day, he deposited ₹90,000 at the bank, where 18 of the ₹500 notes were found to be fake.Police subsequently located Danish in the Gandhi Nagar market and took him into custody. During questioning, he allegedly told investigators that he had obtained counterfeit currency worth about ₹30,000 by paying ₹10,000 in genuine currency to a man identified as Guddu, a resident of Jharkhand.
The police then formed a team to trace the alleged supplier. Following leads from the investigation, the team travelled to Bihar and coordinated with local authorities in the Gaya-Bodh Gaya area.On August 26, police arrested Mohammad Meraj alias Guddu and recovered another 169 counterfeit ₹500 notes from him.
With the 18 notes seized earlier, the total recovery stood at 187 fake ₹500 notes, having a face value of ₹93,500.
Investigators said Guddu allegedly disclosed that he had obtained counterfeit notes from two individuals known by the aliases “Mama” or “Chhotu” and “Bhaiya Ji”, who were believed to be operating from Malda in West Bengal.
Police further alleged that Guddu had previously acquired counterfeit currency with a face value of around ₹1.5 lakh by paying approximately ₹60,000 in genuine money.Danish, 35, a resident of Gaya, is suspected of circulating the counterfeit notes through small cash purchases, while Guddu, 36, allegedly acted as a supplier.
Police said Guddu had also been named in two earlier cases registered in Bihar.The investigation is continuing to identify the alleged source of the counterfeit currency, trace the persons operating from Malda and determine the wider network involved in producing and distributing the fake notes.
Police are also examining how extensively the counterfeit currency may have been circulated across different states.The allegations are part of an ongoing investigation, and further legal proceedings will determine the responsibility of the accused.
