Bhadrak: Odisha police have detained one person in connection with the circulation of counterfeit currency and seized fake Indian currency notes with a face value of Rs 10,000 from his possession, a police officer said.
The incident came to light Saturday afternoon when two youths allegedly attempted to purchase goods using the fake notes at the Anand Bazaar, under Bhadrak rural police station limits, the officer said.
According to an eyewitness, the two suspects, residents of Deopal village near Anand Bazaar, purchased groceries using Rs 200 notes. When one of the youths attempted to exchange another Rs 200 currency note, the shopkeeper grew suspicious due to its texture and print.
“I sensed something was wrong when I touched the note. I showed it to other shopkeepers nearby, and we quickly realised it was a fake one. When confronted, the youth tried to flee, but locals caught them and alerted the police,” said Utkalmani Panda, the shopkeeper.
One of the accused managed to escape the spot, while the other was caught by residents and handed over to police.
The Bhadrak rural police conducted a search and recovered counterfeit currency amounting to Rs 10,000 in denominations of Rs 100, Rs 200, and Rs 500, the police officer said.
Preliminary investigation suggests the accused were targeting small shops where the chances of detection of counterfeit currency notes are lower, the police officer.
The police suspect that the detained person may be part of a larger counterfeit currency racket.
“We have registered a case, and the seized currency has been sent for forensic examination,” the inspector-in-charge (IIC) of Bhadrak rural police station, Dayanidhi Das, said.
A manhunt is on to track the absconding youth and uncover the network behind this racket, he said.
PTI
