Ahmedabad police nab 7 in Rs 2.4 crore fake currency racket; AI tools and Chinese-sourced paper used to forge Rs 500 notes

AHMEDABAD: City crime branch on Wednesday arrested seven persons, including a yoga instructor, and seized Rs 2.38 crore in counterfeit currency. The accused were allegedly circulating counterfeit notes of the new Rs 500 series introduced after demonetization in 2016.

The arrests were made after Detection of Crime Branch (DCB) police intercepted a white SUV near Torrent Power in the Amraiwadi area following a tip-off that fake currency was being transported from Surat to Ahmedabad. Police said the SUV was carrying bundles of counterfeit notes concealed in bags and packaging material.

The accused were identified as Mukesh Thummar (45), Ashok Mavani (49), Ramesh Balar (47), Divyesh Rana (40), Pradip Jotangiya alias Pradip Guruji (4), Aarti Savalia (56) and Bharat Kakadiya (53), all residents of Surat. Kakadiya, attempted to flee when the vehicle halted in Amraiwadi, but was later apprehended near CTM crossroads.

During checking in the presence of independent witnesses, police recovered 44,053 counterfeit Rs 500 notes from the vehicle. Of these, 20,078 notes were found in a backpack, while 23,975 notes were recovered from a carton. The total face value of the counterfeit currency seized in Ahmedabad alone was pegged at around Rs 2.10 crore.

Police said the notes appeared similar to genuine currency but were printed on low-quality paper, with fake watermarks. A forensic team later confirmed that the notes were counterfeit.

Subsequent interrogation revealed that the accused were running a printing unit from a residential premises in Surat for the past three to four months. A crime branch team, in coordination with Surat police, raided the location and seized additional Rs 28 lakh in fake currency along with equipment, including printers, a laptop, a paper-cutting machine, and a currency-counting machine.

Investigators said the operation was led by Mukesh Thummar, who arranged the infrastructure and raw materials. The accused allegedly sourced specialized paper resembling security thread paper with "RBI" and "Bharat" markings from Chinese suppliers through online platforms.

Police further said that the group used photo-editing software and artificial intelligence tools to replicate the design and layout of genuine notes. One of the accused had technical expertise in graphic design and printing, which helped improve the quality of the counterfeit currency.

Officials said the accused conspired over the past three months and were actively looking for buyers to circulate the fake notes in the market. Besides the counterfeit currency, police seized the SUV valued at around Rs 25 lakh, multiple mobile phones, identity documents, ATM cards, and a pen drive from the accused.

A case has been registered with the Detection of Crime Branch under provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, including Sections 178, 180, 181, and 61(2) for counterfeiting, possession of fake currency, use of equipment for forging currency, and criminal conspiracy.