NIA court pronounces 7-10 years' imprisonment for seven linked to fake currency smuggling syndicate

New Delhi, Mar 3 (PTI) Seven persons were convicted in a 2015 fake Indian currency smuggling case by an NIA special court in Visakhapatnam and sentenced to seven to ten years' imprisonment, an official statement issued here on Tuesday said.

The conspiracy, which involved trafficking of high quality Fake Indian Currency Notes (FICN) through the Indo-Bangladesh border and its circulation in various parts of the country, was aimed at disrupting India's financial security, according to the National Investigation Agency (NIA).

The court has pronounced varied quanta of simple imprisonment sentences, ranging from seven to ten years, along with fines against the seven convicts, the statement said.

The accused, hailing from Assam, West Bengal and Karnataka, have been identified as Saddam Hossain, Roustum, Amirul Hoque, Mohammad Hakim Sheikh, Saddam Hussien, Sayed Imran and Mohammed Akber Ali, it said.

As per court orders, Saddam Hossain of Barpeta district of Assam will have to undergo 10 years' simple imprisonment (SI), and pay a fine of Rs 5,000.

The accused was arrested by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), Visakhapatnam, in September 2015 following the seizure of high quality FICN with face value of more than Rs 5 lakh at the Visakhapatnam Railway Station, while he was travelling by train.

Amirul Hoque, also of Barpeta, will also undergo 10-years SI with Rs 5,000 fine (or additional 1 year SI in case of default in payment), the agency said.

Rostum of Malda district, West Bengal, has been sentenced to 7-years SI along with Rs 2,000 fine, while Mohammed Hakim Sheik of Malda has received 8-years SI and Rs 5,000 fine.

Saddam Hussein of Bengaluru has been sentenced to 7-years SI and Rs 2,000 fine. "A similar sentence has been passed against Sayed Imran of Mandya district, Karnataka, and Md Akbar Ali of Kamrup district (Assam)," the statement said. NIA, which took over the case in December 2015, had chargesheeted accused Saddam Hossain in July 2016, followed by supplementary chargesheets against the other six accused during 2018 and 2019. PTI AKV ARB ARB