More than ₹9 crore in counterfeit currency was recovered from the Dhamakhali Ferry Ghat area in West Bengal’s Sandeshkhali late on Friday (July 18, 2025) night. Local police have suggested that it could be part of a country-wide fake currency racket. Accused have been sent to 12 days police custody.
The two arrested accused men, Sirajuddin Molla from Jibantala in Canning and Debabrata Chakraborty from Maheshtala have been held by the Sandeshkhali police in connection with the recovery. The duo had checked into hotel rooms at the Royal Guest House near the ferry ghat area in the North 24 Parganas district.
The breakthrough came in seizing the currency notes after the duo attempted to purchase goods from a local shop using the fake currency notes in their possession. Sensing something fishy, the local shopkeeper alerted the Sandeshkhali Police, who detained the suspects and transported them across the river to the police station. The two were questioned throughout the night.
During raids and search operations the police recovered stacks of counterfeit Indian currency and found Nepali banknotes and equipment allegedly used to punch and bundle large amounts of cash. Investigators have also found two Aadhaar cards in Sirajuddin’s possession, raising further suspicion about his identity.
During the course of the investigation and witnessing the magnitude of the crime, police suspect that the two might be part of a bigger network of criminals whose network maybe spread across the nation and can also be operational beyond the Indian borders.
The two accused were produced before a court on Saturday (July 19, 2025). Meanwhile, investigators are probing their connections and financial trails of the duo to find other perpetrators who might be part of the nexus.
Balay Ghosh, sub-inspector at Sandeshkhali Police Station told The Hindu that the two accused were produced in court on Saturday and the has been sent to police remand for 12 days as the police continue with their investigation.
“They had tried to camouflage the fake currency notes between original Indian currency notes to hide in plain sight. They had packed each of the note bundle with real currency notes on two sides, and fake notes in between,” Mr. Ghosh added. He also said that the duo was arrested on Friday, at 10 p.m.
Published – July 20, 2025 12:10 am IST
