Three held with fake ₹500 notes in Ahmedabad, SOG busts counterfeit currency racket

The Special Operations Group (SOG) of the Ahmedabad City Crime Branch has arrested three persons for allegedly circulating fake Indian currency notes, officials said on Tuesday.

Acting on specific intelligence, a team of the SOG apprehended the accused and recovered counterfeit ₹500 denomination notes along with other materials used in the offence. In total, 139 fake ₹500 notes were seized, along with additional counterfeit currency and equipment, with the overall seizure valued around ₹50,000.

The accused have been identified as Bhavesh Makwana (28), a resident of Bapunagar with links to Morbi; Anil Ashwar (31), a resident of Morbi; and Jitendrakumar alias Jitu Prajapati (43), a resident of Vatva in Ahmedabad.

Police said the operation was conducted under the supervision of senior officers of the SOG Crime Branch, following directions to intensify action against counterfeit currency networks in the city. The raid was led by Police Inspectors P V Desai and C B Chauhan.

Investigators revealed that Makwana and Prajapati have prior criminal records, including cases related to serious offences, gambling and violations under the NDPS Act.

A case has been registered against the trio under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita pertaining to counterfeiting and circulation of fake currency. Further investigation is underway to trace the source of the counterfeit notes and identify other members of the network.

Police officials said efforts are being made to ascertain whether the accused were part of a larger inter-district or inter-state counterfeit currency racket.