Fake currency racket busted in Azamgarh, 8 members arrested

Varanasi: The Raunapar police in Azamgarh have busted a gang involved in printing fake currency, arresting eight members and seizing counterfeit cash amounting to Rs 1.19 lakh, along with printing equipment and other items. The seized items include a laptop, printer, car, and seven mobile phones.Acting on a tip-off, police teams led by SHO Mantosh Singh swooped down on a white car near Tekanpur Puliya, arresting six individuals, including Nitin Singh alias Bhola, Rishikesh Singh alias Shani, Abhishek Singh alias Kanha, Aditya Singh alias Chanki, Shivam Singh alias Vidur, and Munna Pandey, for allegedly dealing in counterfeit currency. The arrests were made after the area was cordoned off by three police teams.Based on their leads, police also arrested Manoj Kumar and Rudra Pandey from Jagdishpur village, along with the equipment used in making counterfeit notes.Azamgarh SP (Rural) Chirag Jain revealed that the accused gang members spilled the beans on their operation. The mastermind, Manish Mishra, allegedly printed counterfeit notes on A4-size paper, which were then trimmed to size using a paper cutter to mimic real currency notes.The gang allegedly used a clever tactic, mixing counterfeit notes with genuine ones and circulating them in markets, shops, and transactions, making detection tough for the average person. Police are now on the hunt for other gang members.