Fake notes made in Tamil Nadu with Pakistan’s help'

 Apr 29 2012 11 44 IST By HM Chaithanya Swamy | Place Bangalore | Agency DNA.

The police have learnt that those involved in circulating fake currency notes in the city have been infusing the fake ones through foreign nationals who come to the city to pursue education.

Interrogation of two persons arrested on the charges of circulating fake notes in the city in February led the police to this information. The police have identified the kingpin of the racket as one Ravi, of Tamil Nadu. There is little information regarding his whereabouts.

City police had on February 13 arrested Mohammed Hafeez Aneef, 37, of Colombo, Sri Lanka, and Vijay Kumar, 25, of Tamil Nadu, when they were on a shopping spree on Brigade Road, paying with fake notes. Even as their three associates managed to flee, the police seized fake notes of Rs1.5 lakh.

During interrogation, Aneef told police that he is a broker, who arranges seats for Sri Lankan students in Bangalore colleges. He said he had ties with medical, engineering and other colleges.

It was in Tamil Nadu that he met Ravi, who even paid towards their accommodation in the city. Haneef said that then he did not know Ravi was using counterfeit notes.

Further, Aneef revealed that Sri Lankan students taking admission through him used to exchange their Sri Lankan currency with Ravi, who used to give them fake notes.

He said that the students chose to exchange their money with Ravi instead of the government’s exchange counter because Ravi used to give them more for their money than its corresponding value in Indian rupee; it is an altogether different matter though that the students were not aware that in lure of more, they were getting fake notes.

Based on the information given by Aneef and Kumar, a team of Ashoknagar police went to Tamil Nadu to arrest their gang members and Ravi.

Ravi is said to have contacts in Pakistan and is reportedly getting fake notes manufactured in Tamil Nadu. The police said they were yet to ascertain who was supplying the raw material to the culprits for fake notes.

Ashoknagar police stayed in Tamil Nadu for more than 15 days but could not get much information about Ravi as his gang members keep shifting their base. Many people told police that Ravi was hiding in Malaysia.

After returning to city, the police learnt that Ravi stays in India but keeps travelling abroad frequently. The police have not been able to trace his passport. An officer part of the investigation said they were finding it tough to crack the case as the local people were not spilling the beans about the culprits even though they have the information.