Kushinagar (UP), Sep 25 (PTI) Another gangster involved in counterfeit currency trade was arrested on Wednesday after a gunfire encounter which left him with a bullet wound, police here said.
Superintendent of Police Santosh Mishra said the gang member identified as Mustqueem was nabbed with fake Indian currency and a country-made pistol in his possession.
With his arrest, the number of those held in connection with the racket has risen to 11, he said.
“It has come to light that some people are supporting the accused by spreading misleading videos on social media but the fact is that all the accused who have been caught are hardened criminals. All of them have a criminal background. All of them have been involved in crime in the past as well,” the SP said.
One of the accused Aurangzeb has nine cases, including that of gang-rape, registered against him.
Ten people were arrested on Monday for their alleged involvement in a counterfeit currency trade.
The BJP has since attacked the Samajwadi Party, alleging that some of the racketeers were its members.
The other 10 earlier arrested were identified as Mohammad Rafiq Khan alias Bablu Khan, Naushad Khan, Mohammad Rafi Ansari, Aurangzeb alias Laden, Sheikh Jamaluddin, Niyazuddin alias Munna, Rehan Khan alias Saddam, Hasim Khan, Seraj Hashmati and Parvez Ilahi – all of them residents of Kushinagar district.
Mishra had earlier said the seizures included counterfeit notes with a face value of Rs 5,62,000, Rs 1,10,000 in genuine currency, and Rs 3,000 in Nepalese currency.
Ten .315-bore pistols with 30 live cartridges, 12 fired cartridge casings, and four improvised explosive devices were also found on them.
Thirteen mobile phones, 26 SIM cards, 10 fake Aadhaar cards, 10 ATM cards, eight laptops and two vehicles used in the crime were also seized, he said.
The ten have been booked under charges of counterfeit currency trade, the Arms Act, and the Explosive Substances Act.
The Uttar Pradesh BJP in a post on X in Hindi, said, “Ten notorious accused including SP Lohia Vahini National Secretary Rafi Khan ‘Bablu’, who were running a big international gang, have been arrested with fake notes and illegal weapons. How will SP chief Akhilesh Yadav defend him now?” SP leader and former MLC Udaiveer Singh responded by saying the law will take its course with the culprits.
“It should not happen that those who are associated with the BJP are given a clean chit. The party (SP) is gathering information about this incident at its level,” he said. PTI ABN ABN VN VN
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