Four held in Pune for printing and circulating fake Rs 500 notes; 1,128 counterfeit notes seized

Police have busted a gang that was trying to pass off fake Rs 500 notes and was also making them, in the heart of Pune. Vishrambaug police have arrested four people and recovered 1,128 counterfeit notes worth Rs 5.64 lakh. A printer, a monitor and other equipment were also seized.

Police are now trying to find out how many more fake notes the gang produced and whether any of them were put into circulation in the market. They are also investigating where the notes were printed.

The arrested men are Salman Zainuddin Raje (30, Ambegaon Kedgaon, Daund taluka), Shafaz Firoz Ansari (30, Nalasopara), Vishal Vilas Galande (37, Surupkhan Wadi, Man taluka, Satara district) and Abhijit Raosaheb Kamble (30, Shirol, Kolhapur district). A case has been registered at Vishrambaug police station.

The action was taken under the guidance of Deputy Commissioner of Police Krishikesh Rawale. Senior Inspector Navnath Jagtap, police constables Sachin Ahivale, Shailesh Surve, Sachin Kadam, Kailas Dukre and their team carried it out.

It began with a tip-off. Ahivale and Surve learnt that a suspicious man was coming to the Mahatma Phule Mandai area with fake notes. They passed the information to Senior Inspector Jagtap. Police then laid a trap on 14 October on the inner road behind Mahatma Phule Mandai in Shukrawar Peth, opposite the Mhasoba temple.

Police caught Salman Raje there as he arrived with fake Rs 500 notes. They recovered 805 counterfeit Rs 500 notes from him, worth Rs 4,02,500 in all.

Questioning revealed that he had three associates. Police then took into custody suspects living in Satara and Kolhapur. Equipment used to make fake notes was seized from them, including a printer, monitor, keyboard, mouse, CPU and other items. The equipment is valued at Rs 21,100. A further 323 counterfeit notes were also seized in the follow-up action.

The challenge before the police now is to trace the entire chain, from the making of the fake notes to their distribution in the market.