The Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) of Uttar Pradesh Police has exposed a conspiracy to circulate fake currency in Mahakumbh which is going to take place in Prayagraj. This shocking development transpired after the arrest of Mohammad Suleman Ansari and Idris who were nabbed from Sarnath in Varanasi on 19th November with counterfeit currency valued at Rs 1.97 lakh.
The authorities are now looking for their partner Zakir who is reportedly the kingpin of the racket. He used to hand over the fraudulent notes to Suleman and Idris, and they distributed the bogus money in various parts of Uttar Pradesh. Zakir is a resident of Malda in West Bengal. During interrogation, it was revealed that he received the fake Indian currency from Bangladesh.
Suleman and Idris are residents of Vaishali district of Bihar. Suleman used to make punctures in Malda where he came in contact with Zakir. The former was also caught by Bihar Police with fake notes worth Rs 2 lakh, after which he was imprisoned in Hajipur jail for about 6 months.
After the arrest of Suleman and Idris, Anti-Terror Squad (ATS) Inspector Bharat Bhushan Tiwari registered a case in Sarnath police station. OpIndia has a copy of the First Information Report (FIR) according to which ATS had received information regarding the smuggling of these notes in Uttar Pradesh.
On 19th November, ATS learned that a group of individuals had disembarked from a Varanasi train with a consignment of forged currency from West Bengal. The police began looking for the suspects. On the Faridpur bypass, two individuals were observed standing with backpacks. Both of them fled when they spotted the cops.
Following their capture, one of them identified himself as Muhammad Suleman Ansari (67) during questioning. He was found to have a mobile phone, PAN card, cash, and a train ticket. The other accused identified himself as Idris. Railway ticket and mobile phone were also recovered from him.
Bundles of fake 500 rupee notes were recovered from them during the search. According to both of them, two days ago, the accused left Vaishali for Malda. Zakir supplied them the money totaling almost two lakh rupees. They used to receive real notes worth thirty thousand rupees for counterfeit ones worth one lakh.
The accused admitted during questioning that they returned to West Bengal in different vehicles after acquiring the forged notes which were intended to be utilized in Varanasi. The remaining notes were then to be employed for the Mahakumbh Mela, which is scheduled for January of the following year at Prayagraj. Both of them had also made small purchases and bought tea with the false notes before being nabbed.
