THANE: The crime branch unit -5 of the city police arrested three person including jeweller and seized from their possession counterfeit currency notes worth Rs. 85.4 lakhs, hit by the pandemic due to covid-19, the accused turned towards this.
Those arrested are identified as Sachin Agre,29, Mansoor Hussain Khan, 45, both residents of Chiplun in Ratnagiri and Chandrakant Mahadeo Mane, 45, Sakinaka, Mumbai, said DCP Crime Laxmikant Patil.
The police said based on a tipoff to the Senior Inspector Vikas Ghodke of the wagle Unit that some persons were coming to the Kapurbawdi circle for sale of currency notes laid a trap on Wednesday evening and nabbed the accused.
Ghode informed that the police first arrested the accused Sachin Agre and seized from his possession the currency notes of Rs. 2,000 denomination. AGre is well versed with the working of the computers and Mane who has jeweller shop had shut it due to losses in lockdown due to pandemic and has a loan of Rs 40 lakh, hence he convicnced the duo to start the manufacturing the fake currency.
“He roped in Khan , who owned a xerox shop whereas Agre was to fly to dubai for job but he agent cheated him. Hence to make the quick buck they started making the fake currency notes,” Ghodke informed TOI.
The trio connived and printed and brought into circulation the fake currency notes.
The police also seized accessories used for printing of the fake notes including computer, printer, etc etc, while the serial number on the noters were different ot make it look genuine. “Using the scanner, printer and even the screen printing they made the notes but were busted before that by the team,” said Anil SUrvase, the assistant inspector.
The police said that an offence under sections 489(A),489(B), and 489(‘C) rw 34 of the IPC has been registered against the trio with the Kapurbawdi police station.
Ghodke said that the police are now trying to find out if the arrested accused were involved in the similar crimes earlier. "Due to the lockdown many have lost their jobs and there is loss of income and hence the circulation of the fabricated currency had become a lucrative business for some," said Prashant Pawar, assitant inspector.