Nagpur: In a late-night crackdown near Mayo Hospital on Tuesday, Tehsil Police arrested two men from West Bengal in possession of a large stash of counterfeit currency notes. The duo, identified as Jaminarul Hussain Lokman Sheikh Hussain (27) of Sadipur, and Azimtanu Sheikh (29) of Dulalganj, both from Malda district, were caught with 243 fake Rs 500 notes during routine patrolling.
Malda, often flagged by intelligence agencies as a hotspot for counterfeit currency smuggling, once again finds itself at the centre of suspicion. Around midnight, a patrolling unit from Tehsil Police Station grew wary of the two men loitering near the hospital. On stopping and questioning them, the suspects initially claimed to be job-seekers newly arrived in the city. However, a search of their belongings revealed a plastic bag stuffed with fake notes, totalling Rs 1.21 lakh in face value.
Gold Rate
05 Aug 2025
The men later confessed during interrogation that they had boarded the Geetanjali Express from Howrah on Monday with plans to commit theft. According to their statement, they allegedly stole a co-passenger’s bag during the train journey and discovered the counterfeit currency inside. They got off at Nagpur Railway Station around 10 am on Tuesday, roamed the city all day, and were planning to board a return train to Howrah after dinner.
Police are probing the authenticity of their claims and suspect a deeper network. Given the high quality of the counterfeit bills, nearly indistinguishable from genuine notes, officials fear the operation could be linked to a larger, well-organized interstate or international racket.
A case under Sections 179, 180, and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) has been registered against the two accused. They were produced before the court on Wednesday and have been remanded to five days in police custody.
The arrest was led by WPI Shubhangi Deshmukh, with PSI Rahul Wadhwe, Sheikh Rasul, ASI Rajesh Thakur, and constables Firoz Khan, Vinod Kature, Pawan Sakharkar, and Sandeep Shirfule playing key roles.
Authorities are now investigating whether the seized fake notes were printed in India or smuggled in from abroad. While Nepal was once a major route for such operations, tighter surveillance has pushed the racket across to Bangladesh, which now serves as a key hub for fake currency circulation in India.
Pay Rs 1 lakh for fake notes worth Rs 2 lakh
In Bangladesh, poor labourers are used as couriers. They are given the task of carrying fake currency notes across the border into India. Brokers in West Bengal then ‘sell’ these fake notes at half the price. For example, by paying Rs 1 lakh, one receives fake notes worth Rs 2 lakh. The counterfeit notes are made so skillfully that an ordinary person cannot easily tell the difference. The gang is using labourers, especially from West Bengal, to circulate fake currency notes. These labourers often distribute the fake notes in small weekly markets, where verification is rare.
