Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Aug 1 (PTI) Police in Maharashtra’s Ahilyanagar district have busted a fake currency racket, leading to the arrest of seven members of an inter-district gang and seizure of counterfeit notes with a face value of Rs 59.50 lakh, an official said on Friday.
Of the seven accused, two were arrested from Ahilyanagar in western Maharashtra and the rest from Beed and Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar districts in the state’s central region of Marathwada, he said, adding their one more accomplice is absconding.
The seizure of counterfeit notes and arrests from different locations were made since July 27.
Police nabbed two men roaming suspiciously in Ambilwadi area of Nagar Taluka Police station in Ahilyanagar district on July 27 and registered an offence after they seized counterfeit notes with a face value of Rs 80,000 in Rs 500 denomination from them, according to the official.
The duo, Nikhil Shivaji Gangarde (27) and Somnath Shinde (25), was apprehended while they were purchasing cigarettes with counterfeit notes. A search of their car led to the recovery of more fake notes and the offence was registered under relevant sections of the BNS, he informed.
After investigation, the Ahilyanagar police arrested five more members of the gang — Pradip Kapre (28, Beed), Manghesh Shirsath (40), Vinod Arbat (53), Anil Pawar (34) and Akash Bansode (27) — all from Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar), said the official.
Their accomplice Ambadas Sasane, a resident of Ahilyanagar, is absconding and efforts were being made to nab him, he stated.
Police have seized counterfeit notes with a face value of Rs 59.50 lakh from the arrested accused. Besides, high quality paper and ink worth Rs 2.16 crore, used in printing the fake notes, were also seized from them, the official said.
“Those arrested from Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar were involved in manufacturing counterfeit notes. The one arrested from Beed acted as a middleman and brought customer for these notes,” assistant inspector Pralhad Gite of the Ahilyanagar Taluka Police station told PTI.
Further investigation was underway, he added. PTI AW RSY
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