Purnia Police Arrest Man with Rs 45,000 in Fake Currency, Uncover Previous ATM Fraud
In a significant crackdown on counterfeit currency operations, police in Purnia district arrested a man for possessing Rs 45,000 in fake Indian banknotes during a raid at his residence. The operation, conducted on Monday, targeted the Fakir Takiya locality under the Kasba police station area.
Police Raid Uncovers Counterfeit Cache
The raid was executed by a police team led by the Sadar Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO), acting on the directions of Purnia Superintendent of Police Sweety Sehrawat. Acting on a specific tip-off, officers stormed the house of the accused, identified as Mohd Zubair Alam, and seized a substantial quantity of counterfeit currency.
During the search, police recovered fake Rs200 notes—all bearing the same serial number, which strongly indicates they were printed together in a single batch. Additional counterfeit notes of other denominations, including Rs100 and Rs50, were also confiscated from the premises.
Accused Linked to Previous ATM Fraud Case
Investigations revealed that the arrested individual has a prior criminal record involving similar offences. According to police officials, Zubair Alam was allegedly involved in circulating fake notes in the local area.
"The accused has a previous record of a similar offence. He had deposited fake notes in an ATM in January 2026," stated Kasba Station House Officer (SHO) Purushottam Kumar.
In that earlier case, registered on January 13, 2026, Zubair Alam had deposited six counterfeit Rs200 notes through a bank ATM. Although the ATM's detection system flagged the notes as suspicious, a technical glitch resulted in the amount being credited to his account nonetheless.
Bank Verification and CCTV Evidence
Subsequent verification by bank authorities confirmed that the deposited notes were indeed counterfeit. Using his account details, the bank successfully traced his identity, which led to the registration of the initial case. Crucial CCTV footage from the ATM location further helped investigators identify the suspect with certainty.
This earlier investigation ultimately paved the way for the latest police raid, resulting in the recovery of a much larger cache of counterfeit currency from Zubair Alam's residence.
Ongoing Investigation and Future Actions
Police are currently interrogating the accused to uncover critical details about the source of the fake currency and his potential connections to broader criminal networks.
"Police are trying to trace the source of the fake notes and ascertain whether he was producing them or working for a wider network. More raids may follow based on the information obtained," added SHO Purushottam Kumar.
The verification process of the seized notes confirmed that the Rs200 denominations carried identical serial numbers, definitively proving their counterfeit nature. Authorities are now intensifying efforts to dismantle any larger syndicate that might be involved in the production and distribution of fake currency in the region.
