Ahmedabad: Does Anupam Kher resemble Mahatma Gandhi’s looks? Well, that’s what fraudsters in Gujarat may have thought and chose his image to be imprinted on fake ₹ 500 denomination notes worth ₹ 1.6 crore.
The incident came to light when two unidentified men duped an Ahmedabad bullion trader. The fraudsters used the fake notes featuring Kher’s image instead of Mahatma Gandhi to cheat the trader.
The notes have ‘Resole Bank of India’ printed on those, instead of ‘Reserve Bank of India’. Images of the fake notes went viral on social media.
Anupam Kher's photo instead of Mahatma Gandhi on the note😭 (A strange case of fraud of crores of rupees has come to light in the bullion market of Ahmedabad in Gujarat)
pic.twitter.com/B9IqwpSKOn— Ghar Ke Kalesh (@gharkekalesh) September 30, 2024
The actor expressed his amusement at the incident on social media. He took to his Instagram account recently and shared a news clip of the fake currency bust.
He wrote in the caption, “My photo instead of Gandhi’s photo on the note of five hundred???? Anything can happen”.
How was the trader cheated?
The trader lost 2 kg of gold, worth Rs 1.3 crore, according to an India Today. The duped trader, Mehul Thakkar, who deals in gold and silver, reportedly received a call on September 23 from the manager of Laxmi Jewellers. The trader knew Laxmi Jewellers and so when the manager asked him about the price of over 2 kg of gold for a third party, he made the deal for Rs 1.6 crore.
On September 24, the manager informed Thakkar that the buyer required the gold urgently, but due to a technical issue with RTGS (Real Time Gross Settlement), they would provide a security deposit in cash and transfer the dues later, reports stated.
According to the deal, gold was to be exchanged at an Angadia (traditional money courier) firm in the Navrangpura area. Thakkar sent one of his employees to deliver the gold. Three individuals were present at the spot. One of these individuals was using a currency counting machine.
Thakkar’s employee inspected the Rs 1.3 crore security deposit and found the notes were fake. The notes had a stamp of the “Star Bank of India” instead of the State Bank of India (SBI).
