Kerala Police bust fake currency racket, arrest 7
KOCHI: Kerala police busted a counterfeit currency racket and arrested 7 persons.
Fake currencies with a face value of Rs755, 000 were confiscated during a joint operation by the Kerala Anti-terror Squad (ATS) and Ernakulum rural police.
Seven persons have been taken into custody for manufacturing and distributing of fake currency notes at Elanji village, some 40km away from Kochi, according to official sources. Police said 1,510 fake notes of the denomination of Rs500, with a total face value of over Rs755, 000 have been seized along with other materials including machines, papers and ink for making counterfeit currency during a raid carried out by the ATS and police at a rental house in Elanji, near Piravom.
The arrested are Madhusoodanan, 48, of Pathanamthita, Stephen, 33, Anand, 24, and Thankamuthu, 60, all from Vandiperiyar in Idukki, Faisal, 34, of Kotayam, Jibi, 36, from Peechi, Thrissur and Sunilkumar, 40, of Nedumkandam in Idukki district.
According to police, the fake currency manufacturing was allegedly carried out at the house rented by the culprits.
Acting on a tip-off, the police team raided the rented house at Painkuty in the early hours of Tuesday and seized fake notes, five printers, a machine each for photocopying, screen printing and currency counting, ink and papers used by the gang to print the fake notes.
Madhusoodanan took the house on rent convincing the owner, Sunny, a resident of Painkuty, that they were involved in television serial production for a Malayalam TV channel.
The gang has been staying at the house for the past nine months. As the house is situated in a remote area, locals didn’t have a clue about the gang’s activities or their whereabouts. Police said the fake currency bills seem to have been circulated outside the district and the state also.
According to the police, the house owner, Sunny, is residing near the spot but he had no idea that the gang was involved in counterfeit currency racket. The gang paid the rent via bank transfer.
During the raid, five of the accused were present at the house while Madhusoodanan was arrested from Angamaly later.
Thankamuthu was nabbed from an undisclosed location.
“The investigation has been extended outside the district as it is suspected that more persons are involved in this racket,” said Ernakulam Rural SP K Karthik.
The customs department and Enforcement Directorate are also coordinating with the local police in the probe as the agencies suspect the involvement of more persons in the racket.