FICN racketeer arrested from Entally, cash worth Rs 2L seized

Kolkata: The Special Task Force of Kolkata Police has nabbed another Fake Indian Currency Notes racketeer from Moulali under Entally police station's jurisdiction on Monday evening.

Police officers have seized fake currency notes worth Rs 2 lakh from him.

According to sources, since the past few months, fake currency notes racketeers have been spreading their network across the city. After being informed by the intelligence units, STF had commenced an extensive search operation and kept strict vigil to bust the rackets spreading in Kolkata.

On March 9, STF officers had nabbed two fake currency racketeers from Chandni Chowk. As the STF officers had prior information, they were keeping a strict vigil in the area. Around 1:45 pm, sleuths noticed two persons and one of them was carrying a bag.

The duo, identified as Dipak Mandal alias Bhola and Joy Mandal, was intercepted and detained immediately.

During questioning the duo fumbled while answering the sleuths. On suspicion, the police checked the bag and found that the duo was carrying a good number of fake notes. Immediately both the accused persons were taken to the STF facility at Lalbazar. Later, it was found that the duo was carrying 400 notes of Rs 2000 denomination, which is worth Rs 8 lakh.

After the duo was remanded to STF custody, sleuths interrogated both of them and came to know about another FICN racketeer.

Dipak stated that a person named Tofajul Hoque from Malda would come to Kolkata with another consignment of fake currency notes.

But he could not confirm the exact date. Based on the information, officers started gathering information regarding the suspect.

On Monday, they got a tip-off that Hoque had arrived in Kolkata and was shortly about to meet a prospective buyer of FICN. Working on the information STF personnel kept a strict vigil in and around Moulali area.

Around 6 pm, sleuths identified Hoque as per the description given by Dipak, and surrounded him near a petrol pump on CIT Road. During search, sleuths found 100 fake notes of Rs 2000 denomination worth Rs 2 lakh from his possession. He was arrested immediately.

Kolkata Police are taking the FICN-related issues seriously as since the past few months several persons were arrested with good amount of fake notes.

During investigation, it was revealed that Malda was the main smuggling corridor of fake notes. The persons arrested were also from Malda. It is suspected that the main racketeers are using Malda residents as carrier of fake currency notes.