A major counterfeit currency racket was busted in Odisha with the arrest of the alleged kingpin from Jajpur district. Police recovered fake currency notes worth Rs 2.72 lakh from his house on Monday.
The breakthrough came after a man was caught red-handed in Bhadrak on May 10 while trying to use fake notes at a shop. Locals raised an alarm after noticing something odd about a Rs 200 note, and managed to detain one of the two men involved. The suspect was handed over to the police, leading to further investigation. Days later, the mastermind behind the fake currency racket, identified as Chandramani Bal, was arrested.
“Chandramani is a history-sheeter and has previously been arrested by Andhra Pradesh Police in a similar case. He has been running this operation for several years and distributing counterfeit notes across multiple districts in Odisha and beyond,” said Bhadrak SDPO Bichitrananda Sethi during a press briefing.