Motihari: The police have arrested the mastermind behind a counterfeit currency racket, Najre Saddam, along with two accomplices, in Raxaul, East Champaran, Bihar. This is the second seizure of fake Indian currency in the region within just seven days. Authorities confiscated counterfeit notes worth ₹2 lakh from the trio, who were entering India from Nepal.
The arrest was confirmed by Motihari SP Kantesh Mishra, who stated that Najre Saddam had been under the radar of multiple investigation agencies for a long time. Earlier on August 29, another individual, Asif Raj, was apprehended with ₹1.44 lakh in fake currency in the Chhaudano police station area. This marks the fourth major case of counterfeit currency discovered in Motihari this year and the third police operation in Raxaul alone.
Najre Saddam, originally from Bhagalpur, was known to smuggle fake Indian currency from Pakistan and Bangladesh into India via Nepal. According to police, several investigative agencies, including Jammu and Kashmir Police, Lucknow Police, Muzaffarpur Police, IB, and Immigration authorities, had been monitoring his activities for months.
Police received intelligence about his plans to enter India, leading them to set up a sting operation in Raxaul. Saddam and his associates were arrested in the Raxaul subdivision, and ₹2 lakh worth of fake currency was seized.
In a related development, Patna police seized counterfeit currency worth ₹10 lakh from the Barh area on Tuesday evening. The raid, carried out on a general store and a nearby CSP, led to the arrest of three individuals, including a husband-and-wife duo. According to the police, the store owner, Santosh Kumar, and his associates Prabhat Kumar and Priyanka Kumari were involved in printing and distributing fake currency notes and documents.
The operation uncovered ₹500 denomination counterfeit notes hidden in a basket in the shop, along with additional partially printed notes. The authorities believe that the gang was engaged in widespread distribution of fake currency in the region.
Earlier this year, on May 4, Motihari police arrested two individuals from Uttar Pradesh in the Kotwa police station area, recovering ₹12.90 lakh in counterfeit currency. The suspects revealed that the money was meant for distribution during the Lok Sabha elections. However, police could not ascertain which political party had commissioned the fake currency.
In another incident on February 7, Raxaul police arrested four individuals in possession of counterfeit notes, along with equipment used to print the fake currency. The suspects, all hailing from Siwan, were caught with printers, ink, and specialized paper required for manufacturing the notes.
With multiple agencies now involved, the police are intensifying their investigation into the counterfeit currency racket. Authorities believe that these arrests are part of a larger network operating across the Indo-Nepal border, and more arrests are expected in the coming days.
