NEW DELHI: Police seized fake currency notes with the face value of Rs 406,500 lakhs in Mahisagar district and arrested a man carrying these notes with the intention to distribute them among tribal population through “magic trick shows,” among other ways. The currency notes were in denominations of Rs 1,000, Rs 500 and Rs 100.
Police said the arrest was made due to increased surveillance ahead of the Vibrant Gujarat Global Investors’ Summit and Pravasi Bhartiya Divas that will be held in state capital in January next year, after the Anti Terror Squad (ATS) issued alert of possibility of fake notes being circulated in the market to affect state economy.
“We have increased vigilance following the ATS alert that states that there might be attempts to bring fake currency notes into the market. The Special Operations Group (SOG) had received tip-off upon which the district police were alerted, resulting in the arrest and seizure of notes,” Mahisagar SP Usha Rada said.
The arrested man, identified as Gorji Baria, was carrying currency notes tucked inside the trunk of a two-wheeler which he was riding when intercepted by a team of police comprising personnel from the Local Crime Branch (LCB) and Special Operations Group (SOG) on Santrampur-Morba highway. Police recovered a Rs 1,000 note from his pocket which was found to be fake by an expert of the Forensic Science Laboratory who was called to the spot by the police. Upon further search, hidden notes were recovered by the police.
Baria belongs to Dobi village in Santrampur taluka. He was also carrying orange clothes and other paraphernalia that suggested he was planning to use fake notes in magic tricks to exchange them with locals, Rada said.
Police seized 298 notes of Rs 1,000 denomination, 199 notes of Rs 500 denomination, and 102 notes of Rs 100 denomination. Initial investigation revealed that Baria had collected notes from one Ramanbhai in Jhalod in Dahod district. Police are yet to arrest Ramanbhai, and investigatations are on to find what other ways the accused intended to distribute these notes.
