Inspired by a recent web series, five men have been arrested for printing high quality counterfeit currency notes, and their trading via the dark web using fake profiles of foreign nationals.
Identified as Vikas Dubey, Vikas Singh, Vikas Bharadwaj, Ravi Prakash and Utkarsh Dwivedi, the cultprits were arrested on Monday and the joint team of crime branch of DCP North and Madiaon police recovered from them a printer, wads of fake notes in Rs 500 denomination worth Rs 3.2 lakh, semi prepared fake currency, eight mobile phone sets and equipment used in preparing fake currency (like printer, scanner, chemical).
A car and Rs 4,400 in cash, besides a rubber stamp of RBI and a dye of a portrait of Mahatma Gandhi were also recovered from the accused. The miscreants owned up to their crime and disclosed that they had been printing fake notes for a long time.
Assistant commissioner of police, Aliganj, Ashutosh Kumar said that the police team was tipped off about the activities of the miscreants a few weeks ago.
On Monday, the team was present at Yadav Crossing in Lucknow when an informer tipped them off about two men who were in a car and about to deliver wads of fake currency notes to a man. The team swooped down at the place and nabbed three persons.
"During interrogation, they disclosed the names of their two aides who were arrested later," Kumar said. He added that Vikas Bharadwaj was the mastermind of the gang.
"We will start a detailed interrogation of all members, collectively and separately," the ACP said.
All the notes have been sent to the lab for tests to identify its manufacturing and know the raw material used. Kumar added that it is very difficult to detect the notes due to proper stripes, picture of Mahatma Gandhi, and embossing.
He said that the business of fake notes has been thriving since the time of demonetization.
(With inputs from IANS)
