Three arrested for printing fake notes in Hyderabad

Hyderabad police have arrested three people on charges of making and circulating fake notes. A total of 1,124 fake notes worth Rs 2,91,100 were recovered from their possession. According to police, the accused learned the method of making fake notes by watching videos on YouTube and Instagram.

The police identified the arrested accused as Ramavat Ramu alias Mohammad (36), Ramavat Motilal (35), and Ramavat Gandhi (19). All three are residents of Chintal Thanda, Vaddipetla, Telangana. Ramu is a Zomato delivery worker, Motilal is a Rapido driver, and Gandhi is an auto-rickshaw driver.

During the investigation, it was revealed that the accused tried to replicate some security features of the notes to make the fake notes look genuine. For this, they purchased an Epson color printer, color scanner, bond paper, and other materials. The fake notes included denominations of Rs 500, Rs 200, and Rs 100.

During the raid, the police seized printers, scanners, laminators, paper cutters, colored liquids, printed pictures of Gandhi, and watermark paper. The accused copied the genuine notes by observing them, including features like watermarks and pictures of Mahatma Gandhi.

The investigation revealed that making fake notes was not the gang’s final goal; they also intended to circulate them in the market. The accused tried to circulate small amounts of fake notes, especially in liquor shops and vegetable markets. It was easier to avoid detection of small denomination notes amid crowds at night.

The police said Gandhi was also involved in the attempt to circulate fake notes on a large scale. Mobile phones and a motorcycle were also seized during the operation.

According to police, Ramu was going through financial difficulties due to problems in his family life. During this time, he met Motilal, and both chose the wrong path to earn money. They watched videos related to making fake notes on the internet and contacted a person through a mobile number given in the video.

The police are still investigating who the person behind the contact in the video was and whether others are involved in the gang. Another associate, Sudhir John Chella alias Vamshi, is absconding and is being searched for.