Police unearthed counterfeit Indian currency notes with a face value of ₹9 crore from a hotel near the Dhamakhali ferry ghat in Sandeshkhali, North 24-Parganas, on Saturday morning.

The fake notes, in denominations of ₹500 and ₹100, were found neatly packed in bundles and hidden inside paper boxes in Room 206 of Hotel Royal — a property previously owned by Trinamool strongman Sheikh Shahjahan and his close aide Shibu Hazra. The hotel is currently managed by Bappaditya Mondal, another close associate of Shahjahan and a prominent Trinamool activist, who went absconding after the recovery.

Counterfeit currency, often referred to as fake money or duplicate currency, is printed without the legal sanction of any government or
central bank.

“It’s essentially a forgery of genuine currency, created to deceive and circulate as real money. This act is illegal and considered a form of fraud or forgery in all jurisdictions,” said a senior officer of the Basirhat police district.

Speaking to The Telegraph, the superintendent of police, Basirhat, Hossain Mehedi Rehman, said: “All seized currency notes are duplicate and look like Indian currency. But the words ‘Reserve Bank of India’ are not mentioned on them. Instead, the names of fictitious banks are printed. The total face value of the fake notes is estimated to be around ₹9 crore so far.”

The police have arrested two suspects — Debabrata Chakraborty of Maheshtala and Sirajuddin Molla of Jibantala — in the case.

The enormity of the fake note haul prompted the CID to step in.

A five-member team of the CID arrived at Dhamakhali in the afternoon and launched multiple raids in Sandeshkhali to trace more hidden fake notes.

Hotel staff said that Debabrata and Sirajuddin had checked into the hotel on Friday afternoon with two large bags. They booked a room and, according to witnesses, were seen unloading several paper cartons from a car parked outside the guest house and carrying them inside. Their suspicious behaviour caught the attention of residents, who promptly alerted the police.

Following the tip-off, the police launched a raid later in the evening and recovered the duplicate notes, which are claimed to be worth around ₹9 crore.

The current owner of the hotel, Mondal, has since gone into hiding. Local sources said that suspicious activities had long been observed at the hotel, which had remained under police surveillance for some time.

The proximity of the hotel to the Bangladesh border has added a new dimension to the investigation. A senior police officer said: “We suspect the counterfeit notes were stockpiled here to distribute them to various locations to deceive people, particularly traders. These could be circulated both within and outside Bengal.”

“What is especially alarming is the volume and the location so close to the border. We’re trying to trace the origins of the notes.”