Police have caught two persons involved in a racket of printing fake Indian currency notes and then circulating them in the rural areas through intermediaries working in petrol pumps and shops.
The duo - identified as Shailendra Kumar and Sudarshan Kumar - were arrested on Sunday while they were in Pandarak market in the city, trying to circulate the fake notes. The police recovered Rs 2 lakh worth of fake Rs 100 notes from them.
Shailendra would print the notes and then his accomplice would circulate them in the rural areas of Patna district, police officers said.
Besides the racket involving fake currency, what's worrying is the gang worked with notes of Rs 50 and Rs 100 denominations. People - from shop owners to ordinary residents - are careful to check if every Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 currency notes they come across is authentic. But the currency notes of lesser denominations are usually left unchecked.
Providing details of the racket, senior superintendent of police (SSP) Jitender Rana on Monday said a trap was laid to catch the men in action after officers received a tip-off. A laptop and a printer were also recovered after the two were arrested.
Rana said: "On Sunday, the police received a tip-off about some people spotted in the Pandarak market in Patna with fake currency notes. The men were trying to circulate it. The Pandarak police station house officers and other senior officers were alerted to take action accordingly.
"The men were frisked and the fake Indian currency notes recovered from their possession. The duo were interrogated and Shailendra's house in the Pandarak area was raided based on information provided to the police. Officers recovered several blank papers, a laptop, printer among other things from the house. The men, during interrogations, confessed that Shailendra would print the fake currency notes and Sudarshan was responsible for circulating it among shops and petrol pumps. The men made a lot of money this way - they would get original currency worth half of the fake counterparts they circulated among the intermediaries. The police are investigating into the matter and are looking for the people who accepted the fake money," he added.
Rana added that the fake currency racket was targeted at people in the rural areas and for that, the fake notes printed were of Rs 100 or Rs 50 denominations.
"These days, people are very cautions when it comes to Rs 500 or Rs 1,000 currency notes. Everyone knows how to check them but they would not normally check Rs 100 or Rs 50 notes. People do not suspect anything to be wrong with them. These men took advantage of that. They never really printed fake notes of higher denominations. The chances of getting trapped or arrested for circulating fake currency notes of Rs 100 denomination were less. The police are investigating into whether the racket is spread in other districts," he said.
This is hardly the first time police have caught people circulating fake Indian currency notes.
On October 16 last year, officers in the city and anti-terrorist squad officers from Utter Pradesh caught a person at Patna Junction with fake currency notes of face value of Rs 7.5 lakh.
With the discovery of the recent racket, the police are on alert. SSP Rana said: "In wake of the upcoming Assembly elections, instructions have been given to all the station house officers to stay alert and ensure that no illegal activities are carried out under their jurisdictions. The officers have been instructed to arrest people with pending warrants against them as well as the absconders."
