Khandwa, November 2: A huge cache of Indian counterfeit currency has been recovered from a madrasa in Khandwa district of Madhya Pradesh, informed police.
According to the police, the discovery of fake notes worth lakhs of rupees in a madrasa located in village Paithiya (Machhoudi Raiyat) of Jawar police station area created a sensation in the area. Police recovered fake notes worth 19 lakh 78 thousand rupees from the room of Zuber, son of Ashraf Ansari, who was posted as Imam in the mosque. The action was taken on the information of Maharashtra Police, which had earlier arrested Zuber and his associate Nazim Akam Ayub Ansari with fake notes in Malegaon. Now the police of both the states are trying to get to the bottom of this entire network.
Two accused arrested on highway, bag containing fake currency worth Rs 10 lakh. Malegaon police arrested two suspects from a car near Hotel Avon on the Mumbai-Agra Highway on Friday. They seized 2,000 ₹500 notes (totaling Rs 10 lakh), two mobile phones, and a bag.
Investigation revealed the notes to be completely fake. The arrested accused are Zuber, son of Ashraf Ansari, and Nazim Akam Ayub Ansari, both residents of Burhanpur district. Police have registered a case against them under sections 179, 180, and 3(5) of the Indian Penal Code, 2023, and have taken them into police custody for eight days. As soon as news of the arrests in Malegaon appeared in the media, a resident of the Zawar police station area saw the name of the accused, Zuber, in the report and recognized him as the imam of the Paithian mosque. He immediately informed the Zawar police.
Following this, the police contacted the Maharashtra Police and confirmed that the arrested accused was the same Zuber who leads prayers at the Parthian mosque. Upon receiving the information, Khandwa police arrived at the scene and began a search of the madrasa.
The police team, led by the DSP Headquarters Anil Singh Chauhan, TI Sulochana Gehlot, and the Jawar police station in-charge, raided the madrasa. During the search, a bag filled with bundles of counterfeit currency was found in Zuber’s room. An initial count revealed ₹1.2 million in counterfeit currency, but the amount later turned out to be ₹1.978 million. The recovered notes were in ₹500 and ₹2,000 denominations, many of which looked so real that they were difficult to identify. He had become an Imam three months ago, but villagers had no suspicion.
Police investigation further revealed that Zuber was originally a resident of the Haripura area of ​​Burhanpur district. He was living in a rented room on the upper floor of the Paithian madrasa. Mosque head Kaleem Khan said that Zuber was appointed as the imam three months ago. Previously, he led prayers in Bhanpura Dongri village, but was relieved after another imam arrived there. The head said that Zuber was of a calm nature, and no one could have imagined that he would be involved in such illegal activities.
Police believe this is not just a local incident, but part of a larger network involved in smuggling counterfeit currency. During interrogation by Maharashtra police, Zuber revealed that some of the counterfeit currency was stored in a madrasa in Khandwa. Following this revelation, police suspect the gang may extend to Burhanpur, Khandwa, and Malegaon. Police are now conducting raids in several locations in search of other members of the network.
FSL investigation will reveal the source and technology of the notes
Khandwa police have prepared to send the recovered counterfeit currency to the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL). The FSL will investigate where these notes were printed and what technology was used.
According to preliminary investigations, this network may extend beyond state borders, and it is possible that an interstate or international gang may be involved. Police are now also trying to determine where this currency was intended to be supplied.
A joint investigation will connect the links, with major revelations expected
A joint investigation team from the Maharashtra and the Madhya Pradesh police is now attempting to piece together the entire network. The accused’s mobile phones, documents, and electronic devices have been seized to trace their contacts and financial transactions. Police hope that the FSL report will clarify whether the counterfeit currency was manufactured in India or imported from abroad.
Khandwa Superintendent of Police (SP) Virendra Kumar Singh said that getting to the root of this entire network is our priority. “We are investigating every aspect. More arrests are possible after technical examination of the seized notes. This network may extend beyond state borders, so interstate coordination has been increased.”