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Synopsis

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) Special Court, Mumbai on Wednesday sentenced two Bangladeshi men to ten years of rigorous imprisonment (RI) in the Thane fake currency case.

The two accused namely, Abdullah Shaikdar and Najmul Hasan, both residents of Khulna, Bangladesh have also been fined Rs. 10, 000 each under Sections 489C (possession of forged or counterfeit currency notes) and 489B (using of genuine, forged, or counterfeit currency-notes) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Section 16 of the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA).

The NIA press release stated that high-quality counterfeit currency notes of the face value of Rs. 4,08,000 were being circulated in Maharashtra after being procured from Bangladesh in the case, originally registered by Thane City police in 2015 on the basis of specific intelligence shared by the Anti-Narcotics Cell, Crime Branch, Thane City.

NIA investigations revealed that Shaikdar, with the help of five other accused (all residents of Khulna), was circulating high-quality Fake Indian Currency Notes (FICNs) in different parts of the Thane district. Two of his accomplices, including Najmul and one Mohd Sobuj Motur Khan were arrested.

“Initially, the police during a personal search of the accused, had seized 40 fake notes of the denomination of Rs. 1000. Subsequently, searches of their homes led to the seizure of another 364 fake notes of the same denomination, while four similar notes were seized from their witnesses in the case”, the agency’s press release stated.

“During the court of investigation, the NIA recorded the statements of witnesses, scrutinized mobile records, and collected other documentary evidenced to unearth the full conspiracy, and a chargesheet was filed against the accused, and vigorous perusal of the trial over three years finally resulted in the conviction of the two accused”, the NIA press release read.