Palanpur: Special Operation Group (SOG) sleuths in Mehsana arrested three people on Wednesday for circulating fake currency notes. Cops also seized the machines they used to print these counterfeits at their residence in Rajkot.
Total 137 notes — of Rs200 denomination and one half burnt note of Rs 500 denomination — with face value of Rs 90,000 were seized, said cops.
The arrested trio include Dilipbhai Kariya from Kotharia main road, Sagar Bilosiya from Sadguru complex on Ring Road and Magan Koli, a resident of Khodiyarpara in Rajkot. All three have been sent to 10 days’ police custody.
Inspector DD Sodha said that acting under the instructions of Mehsana SP Parthrajsinh Gohil, the SOG sleuths carried out the investigation leading to the arrest of the three culprits.
On November 27, a Rajkot-based businessman gave the owner of a provision store in Bechraji in Mehsana, Dilip Patel, two bundles of FICN in Rs 200 denomination with face value of Rs 40,000. Patel passed on the fake notes to Narendrabhai Chaudhary of Paradise Trading stores and Keshavlal Patel of Mahakali Traders in Mehsana, who have accounts with HDFC Bank. The bank found the notes to be counterfeits and informed the police.
Cops swung into action and dug on till they could reach the main culprits printing the fake notes and also circulating these through vendors.