MADURAI
Two persons were arrested when they tried to deposit fake currency notes of ₹2,000 denomination to the tune of ₹30,000 with a branch of a bank in the city on Saturday. Police seized fake notes with a face value of ₹1.50 lakh from them.
The police identified the duo as M. Babu (42) of Surya Nagar and P. Anandaraj (52) of Maninagaram. The Central Crime Branch police are investigating as to how they got access to the fake currency notes.
The police said Anandaraj went to the bank on A.A. Road in Gnanaolivupuram on Saturday afternoon. He gave 15 notes of ₹2,000 denomination to the cashier to be deposited in an account held by one Salma Iqbal in Kerala.
However, the cashier, Deepak Kumar, grew suspicious about the notes and informed the branch manager. The bank officials kept talking to Anandaraj and got to know that he was accompanied by another person, Babu, who was waiting in a car parked outside the bank.
The officials took Babu also into the bank and alerted the police. Upon checking his car, the police found another 60 fake notes of ₹2,000 denomination in the vehicle.
The case was handed over to Central Crime Branch police for further investigation.
During questioning, Babu, who is involved in construction industry, reportedly told the police that he wanted to deposit money for his adopted daughter living in Kerala.
While he claimed that he got the fake currency notes from someone in Kerala for buying some construction materials, the police were investigating his role in attempting to exchange the counterfeit currency notes.
The two were remanded in judicial custody on Sunday.
