Counterfeit banknote dealers watch the celebration

Cuttack: At a time when police have recently busted counterfeit milk and ghee units, the Silver City has gained a bad name, but the counterfeit currency mafia targeting the festive season to make a quick buck has been a double whammy.

According to sources, the Durga puja is celebrated here every year with great pomp and show, when business houses make huge transactions – worth hundreds of crores. Taking advantage of the festive rush and the apparent space for the circulation of counterfeit notes, the mafia elements are planning to launch counterfeit notes worth cores in the puja market. According to reports, the counterfeit notes are targeting small and makeshift shops here, if a recent case of seizure of counterfeit notes from an eatery in Jagatpur district here is any indication.

Sources said some counterfeit currency brokers, in the guise of builders, had visited the restaurant and tried to convince people to accept and distribute the fake currency notes. Such a plot was recently foiled by the Jagatpur police. Sources said a person, who identified himself as a real estate dealer, had taken Rs 1.60 lakh from a resident of Jagatpur on the pretext of buying a plot of land for him. When the dealer couldn’t settle the lot, the Jagatpur resident wanted his money back. However, instead of refunding the money, the scammer urged people from the Jagatpur area to help him circulate counterfeit notes, saying this would make them money quickly. After being informed of this, the police arrested and questioned the broker to obtain further clues in this regard.