A special NIA (National Investigation Agency) court has delivered a verdict in the Bengaluru fake currency case, involving the illicit trafficking of significant quantities of high-quality counterfeit banknotes from Bangladesh into India through Karnataka. The sixth accused in this case, known as Vanitha or ‘Thangam,’ has been found guilty.
Vanitha has been sentenced to six years in prison under Section 489B of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) for using counterfeit currency notes as genuine, five years of imprisonment under Section 489C of the IPC for possessing counterfeit currency notes, and two years of imprisonment under Section 120B of the IPC for criminal conspiracy. These sentences will run concurrently, as confirmed by the NIA. Additionally, the court has imposed a fine of Rs 20,000 on Vanitha.
This case initially began with the Karnataka Police, who, in collaboration with the NIA in 2018, seized fake currency with a face value of Rs 2.50 lakh from Vanitha. This followed the arrest of three other individuals in possession of counterfeit currency notes with a face value of Rs 4.34 lakh. The NIA later took over the case, uncovering a fake Indian currency notes (FICN) racket led by the prime accused, Abdul Khadir. The agency conducted an extensive investigation and surveillance, revealing potential currency transactions involving three individuals in Bengaluru.
Between 2018 and 2022, the NIA filed charge sheets against eight individuals. Three of them, namely Mohammed Sajjad Ali alias ‘Chachu,’ M G Raju alias ‘Master,’ and Abdul Kadir, received six-year prison sentences from the special court. Additionally, two other accused, Gangadhar Kholkar and Sabiruddin, were also convicted and sentenced to six years in prison by the same special court, according to the NIA.
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