New Delhi: If there are Rs 20 coins in your wallet, there is no guarantee they are genuine.
In an alarming development, a massive multi-state counterfeit coin racket, allegedly involved in manufacturing and circulating fake Rs 20 coins worth more than Rs 70 crore, has been exposed.
It came to light after Saharanpur police intercepted five men transporting coin-making machinery from Haryana to Uttar Pradesh.
The counterfeit coin racket was being operated under the cover of a screwdriver manufacturing business.
Six heavy machines were recovered when the group was allegedly moving the equipment to UP to avoid detection. After the arrest of five men, it was revealed that they were not manufacturing screwdrivers, but counterfeit Rs 20 coins, The Indian Express reported.
The operation was shifted from Sonipat after one of those involved was arrested by Delhi Police.
Saharanpur police began a probe after receiving information about three ‘suspicious’ men looking for a space of around 500 square feet. They wanted to instal six heavy machines, seemingly to manufacture tools, according to The Indian Express.
Three men were apprehended initially, identified as Upkar Luthra alias Abhay Pratap Singh (62), Himanshu alias Gullu from Saharanpur and Kuldeep from Muzaffarnagar. They told police during questioning that two other associates were waiting at a nearby crossing in separate vehicles. They were identified as Santosh Chaurasia alias Janardhan from Madhubani in Bihar and Anurag Pal alias Lankesh from Sant Ravidas Nagar in Uttar Pradesh.
The duo was subsequently nabbed and the machinery was recovered from their vehicles.
Luthra alias Abhay Pratap has been identified as the kingpin behind the counterfeit coin operation. He previously worked as a goldsmith.