Pune: Pimpri police seize counterfeit currency notes worth three lakhs

Pune: Pimpri police have seized counterfeit currency notes of Rs 2,000 denomination which was allegedly being used in real estate dealings in Pimpri-Chinchwad area. Police have arrested three suspects in this case and have recovered 149 such notes and a car used to carry these notes so far.

Police have identified the suspects as Abhishek Pradeep Katariya (20), a resident of Anand Park in Thergaon, Omkar Shashikant Jadhav (20), a resident of Kunal Estate in Keshavnagar at Chinchwad and Suresh Bhagwan Patole (40), residing at Omkar Nagar in Pate Vasti at Phugewadi.

Police Constable Shahaji Vasant Dhaygude has filed a complaint against four suspects at Pimpri police station. One of the accomplices of the suspects is yet to be arrested. The suspects have been charged under sections 489B (Using as genuine, forged or counterfeit currency notes or bank-notes) and 489C (Possession of forged or counterfeit currency notes or bank-notes) of the Indian Penal Code.

Police Inspector Rajendra Nikalje said, "We had received a tipoff on Sunday at 9.30 pm that two persons are travelling through a car and are carrying counterfeit currency notes to deliver it to someone in Chinchwad. Accordingly, a trap was laid on old Pune-Mumbai highway near Khandoba Maal and Akurdi. Police deployed at these points intercepted a car at 10.30 pm which was heading towards Chinchwad. The car driver tried to evade the cops, but police personnel deployed on bikes at the checkpoints created ahead nabbed the suspects."

"When the suspects were asked why they tried to run away, they evaded answers. The car was searched by police personnel in which 149 notes of Rs 2000 denomination were found. The two suspects confessed that these were fake notes and two more persons were involved in this racket," Nikalje said.

Further interrogation and investigations revealed that the suspects had borrowed some money from Katariya to finalise a land deal. When Katariya started following up for recovering the hand loan, the suspects tried to avoid him. Almost three months later, the suspects agreed to return the money. Katariya asked them to make an online transfer or RTGS the amount, but the suspects insisted to have it in cash.