by Björn Schöpe
February 14, 2013 – After a tip-off Indian police succeeded in cracking an international gang of counterfeiters operating between India and Nepal.
‘The arrests were made based on a tip-off that a gang led by Luthra was supplying fake coins to people in Delhi and the NCR for several months. We were told that the gang would travel from Ghaziabad to Sarai Kale Khan ISBT to deliver a huge consignment of these to a man named Pankaj on Thursday evening,’ an officer told The Hindustan Times.
During this trap on November 22th, 2012 the police team arrested three man on a Tavera car while carrying six jute bags containing 5,000 counterfeit 5 Rs coins each.
The three men are known to police: Sweekar Luthra (35), Ankit Chaturvedei (22) and Darsham Kumar (40) a notorious thief.
It is said that Sweekar Luthra headed the gang in India while his brother Upkar Luthra run the operations in Nepal. In the neighbouring country the fake coins were produced and shipped by train over the border with the help of railway employees and custom officials. Apparently the fake coins were put into circulation in various states and cities in India. Regarding the 30,000 Rs found during the arrest Sweekar Luthra stated that he intended to launder the money through construction of flats in the area of Tilak Nagar where he could rely on the support of a political family.
Police is currently investigating in the impact of counterfeit money imported by this gang on the Indian economy and to arrest further criminals connected with these activities.
You can read an article on this subject here.
Previously reported on this arrest the Times of India …
… and The Hindustan Times.