Fake currency racket: Suspended doctor mastermind on the run, 2 arrested

Bhopal: A major inter-state Fake Indian Currency Note (FICN) racket has been busted in Maharashtra’s Malegaon, leading to the arrest of two men and recovery of fake Rs 500 notes worth Rs 30 lakh. The police discovered that a suspended government doctor is the alleged mastermind behind the operation.

The arrested individuals are Mohd Zubair, an Imam from Khandwa district, and his aide, Nazir Akram Ansari from Burhanpur reportedly confessed to the crime during interrogation that they had been receiving fake Indian currency notes (FICN) from Prateek Navlakhe, the suspended doctor from Burhanpur district.

However, Navlakhe is currently absconding and the police's Special Investigation Team (SIT) have launched a manhunt for him. The police stated that only his arrest would help in identifying the source from which the fake currency was printed.

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The incident came to light on October 30 when the police recovered the fake notes during the raids in Malegaon and later from Zubair’s room in an Imambara in Khandwa district on November 2.

According to the police, the two men merely acted as couriers in the racket, while the main supplier is the suspended doctor.

The SIT source told TNIE, "The two arrested men, including the mosque’s Imam, are merely couriers who were operating for Navlakhe and those who actually printed the FICN. There could be many more couriers of the racket elsewhere in the country."

Navlakhe, who was earlier posted at Burhanpur District Hospital, already has a history of financial crimes. In 2022, he was accused of opening a bank account in the name of a hospital peon and depositing around Rs 24 lakh, which he later withdrew. He was also accused of selling the hospital’s equipment worth Rs 25 lakh as scrap, following which he was suspended. He was also suspected to be involved in hawala business, cricket betting and human trafficking.

The accused suspended doctor, reportedly started the racket after meeting Mohd Zubair in Khandwa jail, where both were lodged. Mohd Zubai was lodged there in multiple cases of robbery and investment fraud. It is believed that during their time in jail, the doctor recruited Zubair into his fake currency network.

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