New Delhi (Agency): The Uttar Pradesh Police’s Anti-Terror Squad (ATS) arrested a man alleged to be part of a gang involved in smuggling counterfeit Indian currency notes, reportedly printed in Pakistan. The arrest was announced on Friday by officials.
Subhash Mandal, the accused, was one of six people linked to an inter-state gang smuggling fake Indian money from the border regions of Bangladesh to different parts of India. The police had registered a case against Mandal and the other accused last year.
According to Prashant Kumar, the Special Director General of Police (Law and Order), Mandal, who had a reward of Rs 50,000 for his arrest, was caught by the Varanasi unit of the ATS in the Mohansarai area, under the jurisdiction of the Rohania Police Station in the Varanasi district.
In an official statement, it was revealed that 26-year-old Mandal is a resident of Joynpur, located in the Malda district of West Bengal, under the Vaishnav Nagar Police Station area. A standing warrant had been issued against Mandal related to a charge from the Civil Lines Police Station of Police Commissionerate in Prayagraj.
The case against Mandal and five others was registered on August 11 of last year at the Naini Police Station in Prayagraj. The charges stemmed from allegations of smuggling counterfeit notes.
According to the police statement, high-quality counterfeit Indian currency notes, said to be illegally printed in Pakistan, were smuggled into various Indian states by Mandal and his associates from the India-Bangladesh international border. The police assured that further action is being taken in the matter.
The arrest of Subhash Mandal brings a significant breakthrough in combating the illicit activity of counterfeit currency smuggling, which poses a considerable threat to the nation’s economy and security.