Central Crime Branch officials on Saturday arrested a 35-year-old Cameroon national who had not only overstayed his visa but was allegedly printing and circulating fake currency. According to the police, he specialised in printing notes of ₹2,000 denomination using colour printers. He then sold the notes for ₹300.
“The accused, Dieudonne Chrispol, a native of Cameroon, had come to Bengaluru on a tourist visa in 2017 and stayed in a rented house in Subbaiah Palya in Banaswadi,” a senior police officer said. CCB officials searched his house and recovered ₹33.7 lakh worth of fake currency — all ₹2,000 denomination — along with two printers and his passport.
The accused chose to remain in Bengaluru illegally after his visa expired. The timing of this coincided with the Centre’s demonetisation exercise. “He invested in colour printers and sold the currency to his friends, most of whom hail from other countries. They would use the high denomination fake notes at night and during busy hours at restaurants, petrol pumps and commercial complexes,” the officer added.
The police have taken him into custody and investigations are on to determine how many notes he printed and who he sold them to.
