3 held with fake currency notes

Dimapur police arrested three persons including a female with fake Indian currency notes (FICN) on September 13 at Blue Hill Station, Dimapur. 

In a statement, additional deputy commissioner of police and PRO said that they the three accused reportedly smuggled the FICN from Lakhimpur, Assam and brought to Dimapur. 

In this connection, a case has been registered with the East police station against the individuals for further investigation.

PRO said the modus operandi was that the customers will receive a call from unknown numbers, where the caller will convincingly relate about exchange of genuine currency with counterfeit currency ranging in the ratio of 1:5 to 1:10. They also promised of festive offers where the ratio was raised further. To convince the customers, the caller also shared through WhatsApp photos and videos of the machine printing the counterfeit currency with them.

After trapping the intended victims, the fraudsters would ask them to contact a person (middleman) who could vouch for the transactions, PRO said. 

The intended victims then contact the middleman to enquire on the authenticity or the middleman himself contact them and assure of high returns. 

PRO said through the middlemen, the victims would be taken to a place, where the fraudsters would show them live demonstration on printing of counterfeit currency, where the genuine currency brought by the victims were exchanged with the new counterfeit notes.

The counterfeit notes some visible at the top were delivered to the victims in a sealed package instructing them that it should not be opened for few days as premature opening of the package will lead to escape of important gas and the quality of counterfeit currency will be severely compromised. Later, when the victims opened the package only the top layers were counterfeit currency and the rest were plain papers.

PRO said that many unreported incidents of such cases have been taking place in Dimapur. The police have, therefore, warned the citizens to be wary of such calls and not to fell prey to the fraudsters. Police also warned that engaging in FICN in any form (whether making, selling, buying, receiving, using, possessing) was a serious offence under Indian Penal Code (IPC) and would attract severe punishment even to the extent of imprisonment for life.