Motihari: Police busted a gang allegedly involved in duping people of lakhs of rupees by luring them with fake currency notes during an overnight special operation in the Bhopatpur area under Kalyanpur police station in East Champaran district.During the operation on Tuesday night, police recovered alleged fake currency worth Rs 1 crore, Rs 13 lakh in cash, 38 gold biscuits, weapons, ammunition and a car. “Four persons have been arrested so far, while raids are continuing to trace other members of the network and probe various aspects of the racket,” said East Champaran SP Swarn Prabhat, adding that police teams from five police stations, led by two SDPOs, participated in the operation.Acting on specific inputs, police raided the hideouts of Suleman Ansari and Imteyaz and achieved a major breakthrough in dismantling the gang’s network.Preliminary investigation revealed that the gang used a sophisticated modus operandi to cheat unsuspecting people. The accused allegedly lured victims by offering them fake currency at a highly discounted rate, claiming, “Give Rs 5,000 and take Rs 15,000 in fake notes.” To win their confidence, they initially supplied genuine currency notes in small transactions.However, when victims arrived with larger amounts of money, the gang allegedly switched tactics. During major deals, they would place a few genuine notes on top of bundles while stuffing the rest with plastic-like counterfeit notes bearing the words “Children’s Bank”, police said.Investigators believe the gang had been targeting innocent people for a long time through this method. “The arrested persons are being interrogated and their cellphones, bank transactions and contact networks are being examined to identify other members and beneficiaries of the racket. Further investigation is underway,” the SP said.
