KASARGOD: Banned currencies worth Rs 13 lakh was seized from a bus passenger by excise officials during a regular checking at the checkpost at Manjeswaram in the early hours of Monday. Dhanaji, 41, son of Ramachandran from Maharashtra, was travelling in a KSRTC bus from Mookambika to Kottarakkara. The excise team handed over the accused to Manjeswaram police for further investigation and they produced him before the judicial first class magistrate court-II.
According to the officials, the man was living at Thavakkara, Kannur, for nearly 20 years and was suspected to have links with a mafia based in Kannur that deals with fake currency. Dhanaji admitted to bringing the banned currencies of 500 and 1,000 denominations from Mumbai to Kannur after selling his property there. He boarded the bus from Mangalore, said the excise officials.
The currency included 1,200 notes of 1,000 and 200 notes of 500. The police are verifying whether the currencies were transacted during the land sale or for any illegal purposes. Manjeswaram SI P. Pramod said that they had given the mobile phone details of the accused to the cyber cell and his call history and tower locations were being checked. The team of excise officials who caught him included inspector Haridas Palakkal, Sunil Raj, preventive officer Joseph and civil officers Gopi and Muhammed Kabeer.
