A routine murder investigation in Ahmedabad's Vatva area took an unexpected turn earlier this week when police uncovered a large-scale counterfeiting operation. Officers seized counterfeit Rs 500 notes worth nearly Rs 29 lakh and arrested six individuals in connection with the racket.
Arrests Made in Counterfeiting Case
The six arrested individuals have been identified as Suraj Sahani, 20, of Narol; Vatva residents Ravikumar Shah, 23, Virendra Baghel, 25, and Chandramohan Sharma, 23; and a minor who has been detained. Additionally, police arrested Meraj Rabari, 49, from Banaskantha using technical intelligence.
Discovery During Murder Investigation
The breakthrough occurred while the Zone-7 Local Crime Branch (LCB) was investigating the death of Imran Sindha. A search of Sindha's flat at Satej Homes in Vatva uncovered a sophisticated setup of laptops, colour printers, and paper used to manufacture fake Indian currency, instantly sparking a parallel probe.
According to the police, Sindha, who has now been named the prime accused alongside members of his syndicate, had rented the premises in March. The network allegedly used the apartment as a mini-mint to print high-quality counterfeit Rs 500 notes destined for circulation in the open market. Investigators suspect the operation may have already pumped out fake notes amounting to approximately Rs 60 lakh.
Recovery of Fake Currency
Following the paper trail, joint teams from the LCB and Vatva police traced stashed materials to locations in Agra, Uttar Pradesh, and Dholpur, Rajasthan, ultimately recovering fake notes with a face value of Rs 28.95 lakh.
