Hyderabad: A Rachakonda special operations team apprehended a 10-member gang involved in printing and circulation of fake Indian currency notes (FICN). The police recovered fake notes of Rs 31.25 lakh face value and printers and scanners from the gang after raiding their hideout in Saroornagar.
Acting on a tipoff, the sleuths (LB Nagar zone) raided a house at Doctor’s Colony in Saroornagar mandal and apprehended 10 persons who were making the FICN and circulating them in the market. The police apprehended E. Rajesh, 34, a resident of Saroornagar and a native of Adilabad; Roshan Mahaboob Shaik, 37, of Srikalahasthi; B. Sukesh, 42, of Eluru, I. Durga Prasad, 39, from Eluru, Mohammed Baba, 28, of Old Malakpet; Mohammed Shakeel, 21, of Hyderabad, P. Dharani, 38, dentist from KPHB; K. Srinivas, 38, a travel agent from Rajahmundry, I. Srinivas Chandrasekhar, 44, realtor from Ravulapalem and Mohammed Ismail of Mirchowk. Two other accused, Rajashekhar and Suresh Naidu, are absconding.
The accused, who met each other through common friends, had hatched a plan to print FICN notes of Rs 500 and Rs 2,000 denomination and circulate them in the market. They purchased a colour printer, scanner, screen-printing machine to make the FICN.
Explaining the gang’s modus operandi, Rachakonda police commissioner Mahesh Bhagwat said, “By placing the original currency note in a scanner, they make copies of the same and cut them to the size of the original note. They paste watermarks of Mahatma Gandhi and electrotype the denomination of Rs 500 and Rs 2,000 on the notes using the printing machine.” Rajesh, who was earlier arrested for making fake educational certificates, was given the task of circulating the fake notes to Baba and Shakeel. “He (Rajesh) gave FICN of Rs 3 lakh face value to both to circulate in cattle markets at Ibrahimpatnam, Choutuppal, Shadnagar, Nalgonda,” he said.
