New Delhi, Sep 5 (IANS): The Special Cell of Delhi Police has busted an interstate FICN syndicate based out of Pilibhit in Uttar Pradesh, which was actively involved in circulating fake Indian currency notes (FICNs) in Delhi and National Capital Region (NCR), and arrested its four members.

The arrested persons have been identified as Nitin Patel, Mohd Azeem Khan, Akil Ahmed and Dr Akeel Ahmad, all residents of Pilibhit. A total of Rs 1,34,000 FICNs, all in the denomination of Rs 100, was recovered from their possession.

Besides this, semi-finished FICNs of Rs 20,000, a scanner, a printer, wooden and iron frames, cutters, ink, tape and various other tools and raw materials used for printing FICNs have also been seized.

A case under relevant sections of the IPC and the Arms Act has been registered by the Delhi Police.

The crackdown came after a specific tip-off was received by the Special Cell about the Pilibhit-based FICN syndicate which was involved in supplying FICN in Delhi/NCR.

During interrogation of the accused persons, it was revealed that all of them were involved in this illegal activity of manufacturing and circulating FICNs since long.

Initially, during the year 2012, accused Akil Ahmed started these activities with his local mentor and co-accused Dr. Akeel Ahmad alias Doctor in Pilibhit, who used to send him to other states and Delhi and NCR to supply the FICNs on commission basis.

The said Doctor was the close associate of co-accused Nitin Patel, with whom he procured FICNs from local sources. Later, Akeel Ahmad with the help of Nitin Patel set up their own manufacturing and printing unit at his home in Pilibhit.

In 2018, Akil Ahmad introduced his childhood friend and co-accused Mohd Azeem Khan into the racket and they started their own FICN supply work in Delhi and NCR.

As such, accused Nitin Patel and Doctor Akeel Ahmad used to print FICN in their own manufacturing unit and supplied the same with the help of co-accused Akil Ahmad and Mohd Azeem Khan in the local markets as well in other states and Delhi/NCR.

"They chose to print FICN in small denominations of Rs 100 and Rs 200, as nobody would pay much heed to these small notes and they would easily pass-over and circulate them in the market. Interrogation further revealed that this syndicate has already circulated FICN worth over Rs 25 lakh in Delhi/NCR," said Sanjeev Kumar Yadav, DCP, Special Cell.