Mangaluru; In a major crackdown on counterfeit currency operations, the Dakshina Kannada police have busted a sophisticated fake currency printing unit functioning from a rented building near Uppinangady and arrested seven persons allegedly involved in printing and preparing counterfeit Rs 500 currency notes for circulation. The police seized computers, high-end printers, scanners, duplicate seals, counterfeit note sheets, fake security materials and other equipment used in the illegal operation.
The raid was conducted at Adenja in Kaniyoor village of Beltangady taluk, where the accused had allegedly established a full-fledged counterfeit currency printing unit inside a rented residential building. Acting on credible intelligence, a police team led by Uppinangady Police Sub-Inspector Sutesh K.P. carried out the operation on Thursday (July 16) and caught the accused while they were allegedly printing and processing fake currency notes.
The arrested accused have been identified as Ibrahim of Puttur, Shareef of Kasaragod in Kerala, Sandeep Pundalik Sholambi of Haliyal in Uttara Kannada district, Mohammad Nabash of Kasaragod, Salman Faris of Puttur, Sirajuddin of Beltangady and Irshad. Police suspect that Sirajuddin was the mastermind behind the counterfeit currency racket.
Addressing the media, Dakshina Kannada Superintendent of Police Dr Arun Kumar said the gang had carefully chosen an isolated location to avoid attracting suspicion and had converted the rented premises into a counterfeit currency manufacturing centre.
“Based on specific intelligence inputs, our police team conducted a raid at Adenja village and uncovered a counterfeit Indian currency printing unit. Seven accused have been arrested and several materials used in the manufacture of fake Rs 500 notes have been seized. Prima facie, the gang had been operating from the premises for nearly a month,” the SP said.
According to investigators, Sirajuddin had rented three portions of a newly constructed building owned by a local resident, Idris, and installed sophisticated printing equipment inside the premises. The accused allegedly used computers, high-resolution printers and scanners to reproduce Rs 500 currency notes. The counterfeit notes were then cut, bundled and prepared for distribution.
During the search, police recovered 21 A4-size sheets carrying printed images of RS 500 notes, one completed counterfeit Rs 500 note, bundles of special printing paper, computers, CPUs, printers, scanners, Xerox machines, duplicate seals, cutting tools, rulers, PVC sheets and imitation RBI security threads.
“The accused had procured equipment capable of producing high-quality counterfeit notes. We have also seized duplicate seals and materials resembling RBI security threads. Several notes had already been printed, while others were at different stages of processing. We are verifying whether any counterfeit currency had already been circulated,” Dr Arun Kumar said.
Police believe the gang intended to distribute the counterfeit currency across Karnataka and neighbouring states through a wider network. Investigators are examining the financial transactions of the accused, their mobile phone records and interstate links to determine whether more people were involved in the operation.
“Our investigation will focus on identifying the source of the specialised equipment and raw materials, the intended buyers of the counterfeit currency and whether the accused are connected to any organised interstate counterfeit currency syndicates. We are also trying to ascertain if similar operations have been carried out earlier,” the SP added.
The raid was carried out with assistance from the Kodagu district police. Kodagu Superintendent of Police Bindu Mani R.N. coordinated with the Dakshina Kannada police during the operation. Police personnel Yogeesh B. and Niranjan M.N. from Kodagu district, along with Dakshina Kannada Special Branch Inspector Nandakumar, ASI Deepak, Head Constables Satish and Rauf, assisted the Uppinangady police team in successfully busting the racket.
Police officials said forensic experts would examine the seized counterfeit notes and printing equipment to determine their sophistication and whether similar fake notes had entered circulation elsewhere. Digital devices recovered from the premises are also being analysed for evidence relating to the operation.
A criminal case has been registered at Uppinangady Police Station under Crime No. 103/2026 for offences under Sections 178(1) and 181 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023, along with other relevant provisions. The arrested accused are being interrogated, and police are expected to seek their custody for further investigation.
