Akola: In a major crackdown on counterfeit currency, the Akola Local Crime Branch (LCB) has dismantled a fake currency racket and arrested three persons allegedly involved in circulating counterfeit Indian currency. Fake notes with a face value of ₹97,000 were seized during the operation, police said.Acting on a specific tip-off, a team led by police inspector Nitin Levarkar laid a trap near Gudhdi railway gate and apprehended Chandan Bhimrao Ghandore, 43, a resident of Gudhdi village. During the search, police recovered 29 counterfeit ₹500 notes from his possession.During interrogation, Ghandore allegedly disclosed that he procured the fake currency from Jahiruddin Jabiruddin, a resident of Pathanpura in Murtizapur. The police subsequently detained Jahiruddin from the Asara Phata area of Murtizapur and recovered a large quantity of counterfeit currency from him.Further questioning led investigators to Vitthal Sanjay Warokar of Gudhdi, who was also arrested. According to police, Warokar revealed that the counterfeit notes were sourced from an individual in Dongaon, Buldhana district.Investigators said the accused were attempting to pass off the counterfeit notes as genuine Indian currency in market. A case has been registered at Civil Lines Police Station, Akola, under the relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). Police are now probing the larger network to identify other persons involved in the racket and trace the source of the counterfeit currency.The operation was carried out under the guidance of Superintendent of Police Archit Chandak and Additional Superintendent of Police B Chandrakant Reddy, by a Local Crime Branch team led by PI Nitin Levarkar.
