2, including a Bangladeshi national, get 10-year jail term for circulating fake notes

An Indian court on Wednesday sentenced a Bangladeshi national and a Thane resident to ten years imprisonment for circulating high-quality fake Indian currency notes (FICN) of 1,000 denomination in the country which were allegedly smuggled in from Bangladesh.

Abdullah Shaikdar Mondal, 43, a Bangladeshi national, and Najmul Hasan Shaikh, 26, a Thane resident, were booked along with their accomplice - Mohammed Subaj Arinda, 36, who too was caught but he was released on bail on 6 February 2016, and thereafter he absconded.

Three accused were arrested on 2 October 2015, by the Thane police after a food stall owner alerted them about the group which visited his stall for breakfast and tried paying the food bill using ₹1,000 currency note.

Acting on the tip-off, the police traced the accused and seized 40 notes of 1,000 denominations from the accused. The prosecution claimed that those were high-quality notes smuggled in from Bangladesh.

As per the prosecution, Mondal and his wife were staying in India and obtained fake documents showing they were Indian residents. On 15 July 2015, he travelled to Bangladesh and returned through the Haridaspur border on August 7, 2015. With him, the prosecution claimed, Mondal brought some fake currency notes. The notes were exchanged in several areas in Thane district and Mulund by the group.

Besides, the NIA, which subsequently took over the case had claimed that Mondal's wife was also into circulating fake Indian currency notes. Besides, Arinda's friend was also caught in Karnataka with fake currency notes worth ₹55,000. Thane resident Shaikh had taken a room on rent where all the fake currency notes were stored, the NIA had claimed.