Pune: The Sahakarnagar Police recently cracked a counterfeit currency racket, arresting five individuals and seizing ₹10.35 lakh worth of fake ₹500 notes. The operation, carried out between Pune and Navi Mumbai, uncovered a network of counterfeiters operating from Delhi and Uttar Pradesh.

The incident began when officers Amol Pawar and Mahesh Mandlik of the Sahakarnagar Police, while patrolling the area, spotted a man behaving suspiciously near a bus stop. The man, identified as Nilesh Hiranand Veerkar (33), was found with 250 counterfeit ₹500 notes in his possession. Upon interrogation, Veerkar confessed that he was attempting to circulate the fake notes under the cover of darkness.

Further investigation led the police to Navi Mumbai, where Veerkar revealed the names of his associates: Saifan Kaiyum Patel (26), Afzal Samsuddin Sha (19), Shahid Jakki Qureshi (25), and Shahfahad alias Sonu Firoz Ansari (22). Acting on this information, the police arrested Patel and Sha, followed by Qureshi on October 22, 2024.

During questioning, Qureshi disclosed that the counterfeit notes were supplied by Ansari, who was subsequently arrested. A search of the suspects yielded 2,070 counterfeit ₹500 notes, amounting to ₹10.35 lakh.

Ansari revealed during interrogation that the counterfeit notes were sourced from Delhi and Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh. A team from the Sahakarnagar Police was dispatched to Delhi to trace the primary suspects, but they had fled before the team’s arrival.

The operation was conducted under the guidance of Senior Police Inspector Chhagan Kapse and overseen by Additional Police Commissioner Pravin Kumar Patil and Deputy Commissioner of Police Smartana Patil. The investigative team comprised Assistant Police Inspectors Rahul Aware, Sagar Patil, and Bapu Khutwad, along with a team of constables who worked tirelessly to crack the case.