Saharanpur (Uttar Pradesh), Feb 17 (IANS): The Uttar Pradesh Police have seized fake Indian currency notes (FICN) of Rs 500 and Rs 2,000 denomination with face value of Rs 28,000 from the Nakud region of Saharanpur.

Two people have been arrested in the matter. The currency notes are said to be of high quality.

Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Saharanpur, Akash Tomar, said, "These are not normal printouts but high-quality notes which can be easily passed off as real ones. There are reports of similar seizures in other districts as well. I am in touch with my counterpart in Rae Bareli district where fake currencies were also seized. Preliminary investigation has revealed that the currency may have links to Pakistan and Bangladesh."

According to him, a youth was picked up by police after he was found carrying 20 such currency notes of Rs 500 each in Rae Bareli on Sunday.

Four people were arrested in the matter and booked under the NSA.

Police claim to have got some more clues regarding the source of the notes but declined to reveal anything further, citing ongoing investigation.

"We have sent a few samples to banks for further scrutiny. Their assessment will help us proceed in the investigation with more precision," the SSP added.