NEW DELHI: In a major breakthrough, two key members of a nationwide espionage and counterfeit currency network were arrested this week in Bihar and Jammu and Kashmir. The arrests, which followed a series of intelligence-led operations, have exposed a smuggling ring involving Fake Indian Currency Notes (FICN) transported from Nepal to Jammu and Kashmir.
The breakthrough came after an intelligence-based checkpoint was set up near Shankar Dhaba in Bihar.
During this operation, three individuals on a red motorcycle, without a licence plate, were stopped for routine checks. The suspects, in a bid to evade capture, led police on a high-speed chase, ultimately being apprehended near Khadwa Bridge.
During interrogation, the trio revealed they had smuggled Fake Indian Currency Notes (FICN) from Nepal to Jammu and Kashmir via Delhi on three prior occasions.
On Wednesday, a key figure in this counterfeit currency network, Mohd Nazar Shamshad known by his alias Saddam was apprehended by the East Champaran (Motihari) Police near Raxaul, close to the Indo-Nepal border. Shamshad, a resident of Bhagalpur, Bihar, was found in possession of counterfeit currency valued at Rs 1.95 lakh. Alongside Shamshad, two other individuals, Mohammed Warris and Mohammed Zakir Hussain, were also identified.
The successful operation came after months of extensive intelligence gathering and inter-agency coordination. Military Intelligence (MI) had flagged suspicious activities connected to Shamshad and his superior, Muzaffar Ahmed Wani, alias Sarfaraz, from Anantnag in Jammu and Kashmir. MI’s investigation revealed that Wani was managing operations from behind the scenes and coordinating with a Pakistani intelligence agency.
Following Shamshad’s arrest, Wani fled Anantnag, but Jammu and Kashmir Police swiftly traced his location and arrested him.
