Ujjain/Indore – Dec. 5 (LatestNewsX) – Police in Madhya Pradesh’s Crime Branch uncovered counterfeit cash worth Rs 17.5 lakh during a raid in the Chimanganj area of Ujjain district on Friday, officials said.
Two people accused of fabricating the fake banknotes have been taken into custody, while the third suspect, identified as Rajesh Barbate and viewed as the ringleader, remains at large.
Confirming the claim, Ujjain’s Superintendent of Police (SP) Pradeep Sharma told LatestNewsX that the arrested names are Chinu Gauser and Dipesh Chouhan.
He added that a comprehensive search operation has been ordered to capture the missing third culprit.
According to Sharma, intelligence led a Ujjain Crime Branch team to raid Rajesh Barbate’s home in Ganga Vihar Colony, Indore. During the operation, officers seized printing equipment, high‑security thread, and related apparatus.
“The trio has been engaged in producing and distributing counterfeit notes for several years,” Sharma said, noting that the gang was previously apprehended in 2023 at police stations in Neelganga and Annpurna in Indore.
“The Crime Branch, assisted by Chimanganj police, have recovered the fake currency from the four suspects and are now carrying out interrogations,” he added.
This development follows the arrest, earlier this month, of 21‑year‑old Vivek Yadav, who ran an elaborate counterfeiting operation from a rented flat in Bhopal’s Karond area. Police seized Rs 2.25 lakh in fake notes, high‑end printing gear, specialised paper, inks, and other supplies.
During questioning, Yadav admitted to circulating about Rs 5–6 lakh of forged notes in the past year, mostly targeting small shops. Investigators are still determining whether he operated solo or as part of a larger syndicate.
Yadav, who has only completed Class 10, reportedly taught himself how to produce high‑quality counterfeits by watching online tutorials, reading technical books, and drawing on experience from a prior job at a printing press, police said.
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