Thiruvananthapuram: A missing-person complaint led police to a suspected counterfeit currency printing unit in Kollam. The police seized 892 bundles of green-coloured paper resembling Indian currency notes, two colour printers, Rs 4.06 lakh and gold jewellery weighing 43.27 sovereigns.Pallithottam police arrested Sibion, son of Augustin, 37, of Kollam West, in the early hours of Saturday in connection with the incident, following searches at two houses linked to him. Police suspect that the paper bundles were intended for printing counterfeit currency. They also suspect that he was illegally lending money at exorbitant interest rates. The accused has been charged under Kerala Money Laundering Act.According to the police, Sibion’s wife approached Pallithottam police with a complaint on Oct 17 alleging that he had been abducted from Asramam. During the initial investigation, police arrested Adarsh Babu (44), a native of Mayyanad, on kidnapping charges.On Oct 18, Sibion appeared at the police station and told officers that he had escaped from the group that allegedly abducted him. He also claimed that the group had returned his scooter and gold ring.His account, however, raised suspicions in the special branch. On Oct 19, the unit submitted a report recommending a detailed investigation into the incident. Sibion was subsequently kept under surveillance by the special branch and the district anti-narcotic special action force (Dansaf) team.Acting on a tip-off, Pallithottam sub-inspector Niranjana M Lal and a police team conducted searches at two houses on Oct 23. At the residence of Sibion’s wife, police seized 392 bundles of green-coloured paper resembling currency notes and two note-counting machines.A search at a rented house owned by Stephen Richard, where Sibion was staying, yielded another 500 bundles of paper, two colour printers, Rs 4.06 lakh (Rs 500 currencies), 346.13g of gold jewellery weighing around 43.27 sovereigns, and a promissory note acknowledging receipt of Rs 1 lakh.Police are investigating whether the seized materials were intended for producing counterfeit currency. They also suspect that Sibion had been lending money at exorbitant interest rates while taking promissory notes and other documents as security without the required licence or authorisation.
