The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Police bust currency racket

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Jul 27, 2005

Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

Police bust currency racket

Staff Reporter

Notes with a face value of Rs. 4 lakhs recovered The police have seized notes with a face value of Rs. 4 lakhs

PAPER TRAIL: The Commissioner of Police, Bangalore, Ajai Kumar Singh, and the Joint Commissioner of Police, M.C. Narayana Gowda (left), examining the fake currency seized in Bangalore on Tuesday. — Photo: V. Sreenivasa Murthy

BANGALORE: The police in Bangalore have arrested four persons allegedly involved in an inter-State racket in printing and circulating counterfeit currency and seized notes with a face value totalling Rs. 4.32 lakhs from them. The arrested persons were also operating a "currency doubling" racket, the police said.

The Police Commissioner, Ajai Kumar Singh, told pressperson here on Tuesday that the four were caught near St. Aloysius High School in Fraser Town here. Three of accused are from Tamil Nadu and one is from Bangalore. He gave the names of the accused as Selvam, 50, of Pudukottai district; Babu, 26, and Mani, 43, of Vellore district; and Suryakanthan of Bangalore.

The police seized 98 notes of Rs. 500 denomination, 3,727 notes of Rs. 100 denomination and 203 notes of Rs. 50 denomination. Dr. Singh said the accused got the counterfeit notes from a person in Kerala, who presumably printed it there. "We are looking at whether these counterfeit notes are linked to the recovery of fake notes in the R.M.C. Yard and Upparpet police station limits a few weeks ago. The notes found by the R.M.C. Yard police were printed in Tamil Nadu," he said.

Dr. Singh said the accused in the Fraser Town case were taking genuine currency notes and "giving double and triple the value of the genuine notes in fake notes," which the recipients did not know. The police are yet to determine where else these notes have been circulated. "We have to find whether this racket involves a group or an individual," Dr. Singh said, adding that the police have recovered fake notes with a face value totalling Rs. 20 lakhs this year.

Dr. Singh lauded the efforts of the Fraser Town police team in catching the accused. Members of the team were given an appreciation certificate and cash award.

Two held on

robbery charge

The Fraser Town police have arrested two persons who allegedly attacked three rice merchants and robbed them of Rs. 80,000 in cash. The police gave the names of the accused as Alex (18) and John Peter.

Dr. Singh, said the accused were also wanted in connection with cases in Ashok Nagar and Adugodi police station.

Hashish seized

Dr. Singh said the Bharatinagar police have arrested a person for allegedly selling hashish (charas) on Promenade Road. The accused, Arshad, was allegedly in possession of 100 grams worth Rs. 2 lakhs, he added.

He said 1.1 kg of hashish was recovered by officials of the Women and Narcotics Squad of the Central Crime Branch from a businessman recently, and the police are investigating whether the two cases are connected.

Theft charge

The Police Commissioner commended the D.J. Halli police for arresting Javed Pasha (22), who was allegedly involved in vehicle thefts reported in D.J. Halli and Bowring Hospital police station limits. The police have recovered five two-wheelers allegedly stolen by him, he said.

Dr. Singh appreciated the Commercial Street police for arresting two persons who allegedly stole gold ornaments and mobile phones. He gave the names of the accused as Raja (24) and Shoufique (18).

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Karnataka