New Delhi, July 07: Delhi Police on Tuesday claimed to have busted a gang comprising five youths who allegedly smuggled fake currency from Pakistan and recovered counterfeit notes with a face value of Rs 10.57 lakh.
The arrested youths allegedly smuggled the fake notes from from Pakistan via plane, train or bus, Deputy police Commissioner (Crime) Neeraj Thakur said.
Shan Mohd (21), Mohd Naim (22) and Mohd Shahrukh (21), all residents of neighbouring Ghaziabad, were caught from near west Delhi’s Rajouri Garden Metro Station on July one while Vipin Gupta (25) and Omvir Singh (22) were caught from Jehangirpuri.
Gupta and Singh were the local contacts of the Ghaziabad based youths and were allegedly circulating counterfeit currency in the national capital.
“The gang, headed by Shan Mohd and Mohd Naim is well established in the circulation of fake notes. They have been in regular touch with their accomplices in Pakistan,” Thakur said.
Shan Mohd was released from Tihar Jail three months ago after spending two years in prison in a fake currency case, while Naim, who was also in jail, was released in 2008.
“Since their release from jail, the crime branch had mounted regular surveillance over their activities,” Thakur said.
A police officer was used as decoy to strike a deal for the purchase of counterfeit notes at 50 per cent discount, Thakur said adding, surveillance also revealed that the gang members had recently gone to Nepal to bring a fresh consignment of fake notes by train.
Acting on this tip-off, a police team went to Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh but the accused persons changed their route and travel plan on the way back.
Shah Mohd, Naim and Shahrukh then contacted the decoy customer and were nabbed when they came to Delhi to make the initial delivery of fake notes with a face value of Rs 46,000.
Thakur said that the trio disclosed that they have hidden fake notes with a face value of Rs 10 lakh, which they had recently smuggled from Nepal and was kept in Tajpur village in Bulandshahar district of UP.
Based on this information police recovered a suitcase from Tajpur in which the counterfeit Indian currency was found to be neatly packed in a cleverly created cavity. “All notes have excellent paper and printing quality and would appear genuine to a layman,” Thakur said.
Interrogation of the arrested youth also revealed that they had asked their Pakistani contact to supply the consignment through Nepal as they were previously caught at IGI Airport and at a Railway Station, he said.
The trio also allegedly told police that they killed one Asif in Hapur after they suspected that he was a police informer.
—Agencies