Ahmedabad youth held with ₹37,300 in fake ₹100 notes ordered via courier from Noida

The Ahmedabad City Crime Branch on Friday arrested a 19-year-old youth from Nana Chiloda for allegedly ordering counterfeit Indian currency notes through an online contact in Noida and attempting to circulate them in the city.

The accused, identified as Aman alias Babu Vinodbhai Sharma (19), a resident of Harshadnagar in Nana Chiloda, was caught with 373 fake ₹100 notes, amounting to ₹37,300, along with a mobile phone and other materials during a late evening operation near the Sabarmati River gorge.

According to the Ahmedabad Crime Branch, one of the team members received a tip-off that a man wearing green trousers and a grey-white striped shirt was standing near the drainage pumping station opposite the Sabarmati River gorge with a parcel of counterfeit currency. Acting on the information, a police team led by Police Inspector J K Makwana set up a trap and detained the suspect around 7.30 pm.

Upon searching Sharma, officers recovered a plastic bag containing 373 counterfeit ₹100 notes and a mobile phone valued at ₹10,000. The seized notes were immediately examined by Scientific Officer A S Patel from the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL), Ahmedabad, who confirmed that the notes were prima facie fake, with differences in size and paper quality compared to genuine notes.

Investigators said Sharma confessed to having ordered the counterfeit notes through WhatsApp from a contact named Naman, based in Noida, Uttar Pradesh. He allegedly made an online payment and received the parcel via DTDC courier service.

Police officials stated that Sharma’s actions were part of a pre-planned criminal conspiracy intended to circulate counterfeit notes in Ahmedabad and thereby “undermine the Indian economy.”

The fake currency, mobile phone, and packaging materials have been seized as evidence. Police have registered a case under Sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) for counterfeiting and conspiracy, and further investigation is underway to trace the Noida-based supplier and other possible accomplices.

An officer said, “We are verifying the courier details and digital payment trail to establish how the counterfeit currency was procured and whether the accused is part of a larger network.”