9 years on, 6 arrested with demonetised notes worth Rs 78.5 lakh in Hapur; pistol, phones seized

MEERUT: Nearly nine years after the Union govt demonetised Rs 1,000 and Rs 500 currency notes, six persons were arrested in Hapur on Monday for allegedly possessing old currency notes having a face value of Rs 78.5 lakh.

Police said the gang operated through the Telegram app, luring people with promises of exchanging old currency for new notes and often duping them in the process.

Hapur SP Kunwar Gyananjay Singh said, "Once collected, the banned notes were sent to their contractor, also operating via Telegram, in return for hefty commission. At times, the accused directly cheated victims in the name of currency exchange.

Those arrested were Narendra Kumar, Shafiq Ahmed, Vikas Kumar, Anil Kumar (all from Hapur); Ramavtar from Moradabad; and Hitesh from Bijnor." Singh said: "During questioning, it was revealed that the entire gang communicated exclusively via Telegram. They avoided other mobile apps or regular phone calls. We're scanning the seized mobile phones to uncover their wider network."

Police investigation revealed the network extends to several districts in UP, including Moradabad. Authorities are now working to trace others to identify where and how the seized currency was being used. Along with the old notes, police recovered six mobile phones, a pistol and cartridges from the accused.