An inter-district counterfeit currency racket has been exposed after police investigated an attempt to deposit fake Rs 100 notes in a Bank of Maharashtra ATM in Gadchiroli district. The investigation led police to Nagpur, where two engineer brothers were allegedly printing fake currency notes using sophisticated equipment in a rented flat. The Local Crime Branch of Gadchiroli Police raided the flat in Nagpur and arrested four people, including the two brothers.
According to police, on May 11, an attempt was made to deposit 21 fake Rs 100 notes in a Bank of Maharashtra ATM located in the Kargil Chowk area. However, the ATM rejected the notes. After verification, bank officials confirmed that all the notes were counterfeit.
Based on a complaint lodged by bank manager Pratik Anasane, police registered a case and launched an investigation. During the probe, police found that the fake notes were allegedly being deposited into the account of Pramod Tikaram Kove (23), a resident of Halda in Brahmapuri taluka. After his arrest, Kove allegedly told investigators that he had received the notes from Aditya Rechankar (19), who operates a paan stall in Gadchiroli district.
Following this lead, police shifted the investigation to Nagpur and conducted a raid at a rented flat on the night of May 16. During the operation, police arrested brothers Mayur Laxmikant Doijad (31), a civil engineer, and Aditya Laxmikant Doijad (26), a mechanical engineering student. Both are originally from the Gadchiroli district.
Police seized counterfeit currency notes of Rs 50, Rs 100 and Rs 200 denominations, along with colour printers, bond paper, paper cutters and other equipment collectively valued at Rs 39,700.
Investigators suspect that fake currency notes were being printed inside the flat and circulated in the market through different channels. Police said the investigation has revealed that the accused had allegedly been printing counterfeit notes for the past four years. Officials are now probing the scale of circulation of the fake currency and whether more people are linked to the racket.
So far, four accused have been arrested in connection with the case. Police Inspector Vinod Chavan said the accused were produced before a court, which remanded them to six days of police custody. Police suspect that more arrests may be made as the investigation progresses.