Prayagraj: Fake Currency Racket Busted At Madrasa In Attarsuiya; Principal, 3 Others Held

A fake currency racket was busted at a madrasa in Uttar Pradesh's Prayagaraj. The police have arrested four, including the madrasa's principal in connection with the racket.

Prayagraj: Four persons, including the acting principal of a madrasa, were arrested after the police busted a fake currency racket in Uttar Prdaesh's Prayagraj. The development took place after the Civil Lines police carried out a raid at the Jamia Habibiya madrasa in the Attarsuiya area, from where the operation was being run out.

The gang was involved in printing, scanning, and circulating high-quality fake currency notes. The police seized fake notes worth Rs 1.30 lakh ( 1300 notes in the denomination of Rs 100), semi-manufactured currency, a laptop, a printer, high-quality scanners, and other materials used for counterfeiting. The accused were producing fake currency notes in the denomination of Rs 100 since people usually do not check the authenticity of smaller bills, India Today reported.

According to a report by the TOI, the fake currency notes were being printed in a room of the madrasa for the past three months. The accused, identified as Mohammad Tafseerul Aafrin (25), Mohammad Afzal, Mohammad Shahid, and Zahir Khan alias Abdul Zahir, had taken the room on rent. They scanned and printed the fake 100-rupee notes and circulated them in the local market.

Maulvi Rented Madrasa Room To Accused For Profit Share

The report further stated that the acting principal and 'maulvi' of the madrasa, Aafrin, had rented the room to the racket's mastermind Zahir Khan, in return of a share in profit. Zahir Khan used to pay Rs 100 for supplying three fake 100-rupee notes, DCP Deepak Bhuker said. "Both Zahir Khan and Afzal were using a scanner and printer used for printing Aadhar cards," the DCP told TOI, adding that the fake notes were printed after the madrasa was closed.

During the police raid on Jamia Habibiya madrasa, bundles of 100-rupee fake notes, were found strewn around the room, India Today reported. They were seemingly indistinguishable from genuine currency. Police are now searching for other accomplices involved in the currency counterfeiting racket.

Th gang was planning to circulate Rs 45,000 fake currency notes in the market of Khulbad, Attarsuiya, and Kydganj, Additional SP (Civil Lines) Shwetabh Pandey told TOI. He also stated that the acting principal Aafrin had been running the Attarsuiya-based madrasa for the past six years. He had come in contact with the racket's mastermind around three years ago. Both of them belonged to Odisha's Bhadrak district.

A case has been registered against the accused gang under sections 178, 179, 180, 181, and 182 (1) of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita. A reward of Rs 25,000 was also announced for the police team that busted the counterfeit note-making gang.