Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar
Six months after a counterfeit currency factory was busted, fake Rs 500 notes continue to surface. Recently, Rs 4,500 in counterfeit notes were deposited in the IDFC Bank CDM at Garkheda, the same machine where Rs 6,500 in fake notes were deposited in August 2025.
Branch manager Nilesh Shindhikar (40) filed a complaint with Pundliknagar police. Bank cashier Samadhan Thombre reported nine fake notes deposited on January 29. Investigation revealed account holder Kaleem Khan had deposited 24 notes on January 27, nine of which were counterfeit. The amount was not credited; the bank informed Khan and lodged a police complaint. Police sub-inspector Reshim Kolekar is investigating. Previously, on August 24, 2025, Sarfaraz Khan deposited 106 ₹500 notes in the same machine; 13 were fake. The bank’s deputy officer Swapnil Ajmera had registered a case then. Over the past seven years, the city has seen a continuous fake currency racket, with notes circulated at petrol pumps, cinemas, hotels, bars, and malls. Minors, laborers, and workers are often employed to circulate counterfeit notes for commission.
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Background of the fake currency scam
On July 31, 2025, a modern counterfeit factory was busted in Waluj, operated by notorious offender Ambadas Sasane alias Arun Wagh alias Major (45, Shahr Takli, Shevgaon). Since 2019, nearly seven counterfeit rackets have been exposed, but city police and ATS have not fully dismantled the network.