Bengaluru shopkeeper catches duo trying to circulate Rs 70,000 in fake notes

Bengaluru: The kiosk owner of a southeast Bengaluru G-Seva Kendra — which facilitates money transfer, among other citizen-friendly services — was shocked when Rs 70,000 cash brought to him by two men for transfer to a bank account had 140 fake notes of Rs 500 denomination. In fact, all of them also had the same serial number.
Acting swiftly, Kumar M, 45, who runs the G-Seva Kendra in the name of Mallikarjuna Enterprises at Nanjappa Layout in Adugodi, tried to hold back the two men, who, however, took to their heels. Kumar's assistants managed to chase and catch the suspects — Suman and Gulal, in their late 20s, from West Bengal, and living in Rajanukunte. Kumar alerted Adugodi police and handed over the duo to them.
According to Kumar's complaint, the accused visited his shop around 2.20pm on Jan 28. They gave him 140 notes of Rs 500 denomination and said they wanted him to transfer Rs 70,000 to a bank account and they were ready to pay him a commission for the service.
"As soon as I received the notes from them, I sensed from touch they were fake. I immediately checked if they were genuine and found the same serial number on all the notes," Kumar told TOI.
He realised that the notes were photocopies of genuine currency notes. He enquired about the details of the duo, but they only revealed their names. When Kumar tried to hold them captive in the shop, they started running. Kumar's assistants, with the help of passersby, chased and caught them. "When I questioned how they got the counterfeit notes, they didn't utter a single word," Kumar said.
A senior police officer said the duo was arrested, produced in court and taken into custody. They claim that a person gave them the notes and asked them to exchange them. They have been staying in Rajanukunte for the past year and work as labourers. Cops are verifying if they have cheated other G-Seva Kendras in the past. The duo claims the kingpin is based out of West Bengal and supplies the counterfeit notes to them.
A case has been registered under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) Sections 179 (using as genuine forged or counterfeit coin, govt stamp, currency notes or bank notes), 180 (possession of forged or counterfeit coin & more), and 182 (making or using documents resembling currency notes or bank notes).