Man held for printing, circulating counterfeit currency in Bhopal

Bhopal, Nov 16 (PTI) A 21-year-old man has been arrested for allegedly printing and circulating fake currency in Madhya Pradesh's Bhopal, police said on Sunday.

The accused, Vivek Yadav, a native of Uttar Pradesh, allegedly printed counterfeit notes at his rented accommodation in the Karond area and had circulated currency with a face value of Rs 6 lakh in the market over the past year, an official said.

Based on a tip-off, the police raided Yadav's house and seized several tools and equipment, including a printing machine, and counterfeit notes with a face value of more than Rs 2.25 lakh, he said.

As many as 23 fake notes of the Rs 500 denomination were recovered from the accused, who was taken into custody on Friday.

During interrogation, the accused stated that he had not involved anyone else in the operation to avoid police scrutiny and handled everything himself, Bhopal Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone-2) Gautam Solanki told PTI.

The accused targeted small grocery stores and paan, gutkha shops in the outskirts of the city, he said.

Yadav confessed that he gained printing experience during his stay in Mumbai and learned the techniques of making counterfeit notes from books.

A case has been registered against the accused under sections 178 (counterfeiting coins, stamps, currency, or banknotes) and other relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). PTI LAL ARU