In the second such case in three days, the police, on Saturday, arrested a private security guard and his accomplice, and seized counterfeit currency worth Rs. 2.74 lakh.
The 21-year-old security guard, identified as Jamal Talwar Hussain from Assam, had attempted to get a mobile phone recharged using a fake note of Rs. 1,000, at a shop in New Colony, Adambakkam, on Saturday morning.
He was arrested after the shopkeeper grew suspicions and alerted the police. “Following interrogation by an Adambakkam police team, Hussain led us to a construction site in Brindavan Nagar, Adambakkam, where he had hidden the fake notes in a pile of sand. His accomplice and co-worker, Mohammad Goyal Ali (32), who also hails from Assam, was held,” said commissioner S. George.
The police also seized some debit cards from the duo and Rs. 19,900, which they had obtained in exchange of purchases made with the counterfeit notes.
They had in their possession a sum of Rs. 3 lakh in counterfeit currency which was handed to them by a suspect, identified as Saddam Hussein, believed to be part of a network circulating fake notes in Chennai, the police said.
On New Year’s Day, three other men from Assam were nabbed by the fishing harbour police when they tried to buy a wrist watch at a shop in Royapuram using a fake Rs. 1,000 note. The three men were also employed as private security guards.
Four fake notes were seized from the trio which had already circulated fake notes worth Rs. 46,000 over the past six months.
Investigators suspect the five arrested men share close links and are part of a counterfeit circulation racket spread across the city.
“City residents should be cautious about transactions involving currency and must alert the police if they find anything suspicious,” said Mr. George.
