Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru (SP)

Mangaluru, Jan 25: The district chief and sessions court here has sentenced an accused to five years of imprisonment besides levying a fine of Rs 50,000 for circulating counterfeit currency notes. The accused who has now been held guilty happens to be Abdul Khader, resident of Aripekatte in Alakemajalu near Vittal in Bantwal taluk.

After the police were alerted about the fact that fake currency notes were being brought to the city from Kasargod, the then deputy superintendent of police, T C M Shariff, had deployed Bunder police station personnel, Mohan K V and Ashok, near the railway station to keep an eye on the passengers arriving from trains there. The police personnel started to trail a person who was seen to be walking towards the Hampankatta circle with white polythene bags, as his movements caused suspicion in their minds. He was stopped near Wenlock Hospital, and contents of the bags were checked. The policemen found 870 fake currency notes of Rs 100 denomination. During the questioning, the man, identified as Abdul Khader, confessed that he had brought these notes from Cherkala in Kasargod district for circulating them in the city.

The then Bunder police sub-inspector, Narayan, conducted investigation and filed charge sheet in the court. During the hearing, the accused was released on bail.

Judge of the district chief and sessions court, K S Bilagi, who handed down the above sentence, also ordered the accused to undergo six additional months of simple imprisonment in case of his failure to pay the fine. Pubic prosecutor, Pushparaj K, had argued the case on behalf of the prosecution.