Luck runs out as man attempts to pass off fake notes a third time
KUALA LUMPUR: A 40-year-old man ran out of luck in his third attempt to pass off counterfeit RM100 notes at a mini market in Kuchai Lama early on Monday, only 24 hours after being released for another offence.
Recalling the 7.40am incident, mini market owner K. Darshan Karthik told the New Straits
Times that the man had first visited the outlet pretending to buy groceries about 3am and again at about 4am.
“This (second) time he came to the counter on the pretext of wanting small change for another two fake RM100 notes. My worker who was on duty at the time did not realise that the notes were fake, until I went to check the daily sales collection in the morning.
“When I checked there were six fake RM100 notes with the cashier. Then, when I questioned my worker, he said a man came to the shop twice with the notes.
“My worker then told me if the man came again, he was sure to recognise his face,” he said.
Darshan claimed each time the man came to the shop, he would wear different caps and clothes, ostensibly to avoid being recognised.
He said he had a “gut feeling” that the man would return to exchange more fake notes and hung around to catch him red-handed.
“True enough, my instinct proved accurate and he came back again with a grey T-shirt and yellow cap.
“I confronted him after my worker signalled to me that he was the man and he immediately became defensive and started attacking me.
“He punched me and tried to flee but a few passersby and I managed to pin him down and tie his hands and legs while waiting for the police to arrive.
“Upon checking his sling bag for identification, I found more fake notes inside. It was only when the police arrived that we realised he was no stranger to the authorities,” said Darshan.
He said a policeman told him the man had been detained last week for a drug-related offence and released the day before he tried passing off the counterfeit money.
Brickfields police chief Assistant Commissioner Ruslan Khalid said police found eight counterfeit notes on the man at the time of arrest. He said investigations under Section 489B of the Penal Code for possession and use of counterfeit notes to cheat were ongoing.