New Delhi, Sep 1 A Delhi court has convicted a man for printing and circulating fake currency notes using a makeshift counterfeiting setup that included a colour printer, specialised paper, green tape for security threads and a wooden plate designed to replicate Mahatma Gandhi's watermark.
Special Judge Amit Bansal convicted Prashant Kumar under Indian Penal Code sections 489A (counterfeiting currency or bank-notes), 489B (using as genuine such notes), 489C (possession of such notes), 489D (making or possessing instruments for counterfeiting such notes) and 489E(1) (making documents resembling currency).
The court, however, acquitted Kumar, a Chennai resident who was living in rented accommodation in Ghaziabad, of the charge of criminal conspiracy under Section 120B of the IPC, observing that the prosecution had “absolutely failed” to substantiate the charge.
According to the prosecution, the Delhi Police Special Cell received information on May 8, 2023, about a syndicate involved in “printing and pumping” fake currency notes into the Delhi-NCR.
Acting on the tip-off, a raiding team apprehended Kumar near Indraprastha Park and recovered 145 counterfeit notes of Rs 200 denomination and 342 counterfeit notes of Rs 500 denomination from his possession.
During the subsequent investigation, police searched his rented house in Banjaro Wali Gali of Al-Nazeer Colony in Ghaziabad's Loni and allegedly uncovered a sophisticated setup for making counterfeit currency.
The seized material included a colour printer and scanner, 97 printed sheets bearing fake Rs 500 notes and 85 sheets bearing fake Rs 200 notes, specialised A4 bond paper, paper cutters, iron scales, green shiny tape allegedly used for the security thread, white paint used for coating and “a wooden plate having a green sheet meant for water mark of Gandhiji”.
In its order dated August 31, the court said the prosecution had, through the testimonies of its witnesses, successfully proved beyond reasonable doubt the recovery of instruments and material intended to be used for forging or counterfeiting currency notes.
“The knowledge of the accused that the said instruments and material were intended to be used for forging or counterfeiting Indian currency notes is self-evident from the fact that these were recovered from the house of the accused at his own instance and prior to that, a huge quantity of FICNs were also recovered from him,” the court said.
The court also noted that an official from the Currency Note Press in Nashik had stated during cross-examination that all the seized notes were counterfeit and of “bad quality” and could not have been used in the open market.
It further held that Kumar had “made documents resembling Indian currency notes”, noting that fake Rs 200 and Rs 500 notes had been printed on both sides of the A4 bond sheets recovered at his instance.
The court underlined that the fake notes were intended to be trafficked or circulated in the Delhi-NCR.
“In view of the totality of the facts and circumstances of the case, it is held that the prosecution has proved its case beyond reasonable doubt against the accused Prashant Kumar,” the court said while convicting him of the offences.
However, on the charge of criminal conspiracy, the court said none of the prosecution witnesses had deposed that Kumar was in conspiracy with the other accused -- Salman, Shanu, Shahnawaj, Taufik, Gopal and Raj -- to print or pump fake currency notes into the Delhi-NCR.
Nor had any witness testified that Kumar was in contact with any of them, either physically or over the phone, it said.
“No Call Detail Records (CDRs) of the accused or any such person (co-accused) have been proved on record by the prosecution. The prosecution has absolutely failed to prove the said charge of criminal conspiracy against the accused to the effect that he entered into criminal conspiracy,” the court said, acquitting him of the charge.
The matter has been posted for hearing arguments on sentencing on September 10.
