Three men have been arrested in Chhattisgarh’s Kabirdham district for allegedly printing ₹12.50 lakh in counterfeit currency using a colour printer to repay a loan. Police said the accused had rented a room near the New Bus Stand, where they allegedly scanned genuine notes, printed copies and manually cut them before attempting to circulate them.

The alleged fraud came to light when the accused handed over ₹4.50 lakh in counterfeit ₹500 notes to Dinesh Kumar Yadav as repayment of a loan. Dinesh reportedly noticed that several notes were unevenly cut and differed in size. The paper and colour quality also appeared inferior, prompting him to approach the police.

The case is from the Pondi police outpost area under Bodla police station. Police arrested the three accused on Tuesday and recovered counterfeit currency along with equipment and other items.

Loan Repayment Exposes Fake Notes

According to police, Dinesh Kumar Yadav, a resident of Kamarakhol village, had lent ₹3.75 lakh to Ghuruwa Ram in April 2026. An agreement was also reportedly signed between the two.

When Dinesh later demanded repayment, Ghuruwa Ram allegedly assured him that the money would be returned.

On the night of August 9, Ghuruwa Ram reportedly told Dinesh that the money would be sent through Satish Kumar. Dinesh was then called to an area near a liquor shop in Pondi village.

Dinesh reached the spot at around 9 pm with his acquaintance Kailash Chandravanshi. Satish Kumar and another man allegedly arrived carrying a black bag and handed over the money.

₹4.50 Lakh in Fake ₹500 Notes

Dinesh reportedly checked the cash and became suspicious. The bag contained ₹4.50 lakh in ₹500-denomination notesthat were allegedly counterfeit.

Police said the notes were not uniformly sized and had poor cutting quality. Their paper and colour also appeared different from genuine currency.

Dinesh subsequently filed a complaint at the Pondi police outpost on August 10.

Police Interrogation Reveals Alleged Operation

Police detained Satish Kumar and questioned him. During the investigation, he allegedly disclosed that he had been working with Ramprasad alias Ramau and Ghuruwa Ram to manufacture and circulate counterfeit notes.

Based on the information provided during the interrogation, police arrested the other two suspects as well.

Investigators said the three allegedly began producing counterfeit currency in July 2026.

Rented Room Used for Printing

According to police, the accused had rented a room near the New Bus Stand for the alleged operation.

Investigators found that Ramprasad and Satish had purchased a colour printer on July 13. Ramprasad allegedly rented the room afterwards, where the three men reportedly worked together.

Police said the accused had limited computer knowledge and no previous experience in making counterfeit currency. Despite this, they allegedly used a colour printer to reproduce notes and then cut them manually.

Fake Currency Used to Repay Loan

Police suspect the accused intended to circulate the counterfeit notes as genuine currency.

As part of the alleged plan, the accused gave Dinesh ₹4.50 lakh in counterfeit notes while claiming it was repayment of the outstanding loan. Police said Satish and Ramprasad were involved in delivering the counterfeit currency.

The poor quality of the notes, however, allegedly led to the fraud being detected.

₹12.50 Lakh in Fake Currency Seized

Police said counterfeit currency was recovered from the three accused as well as from the amount handed over to Dinesh.

• Satish Kumar: ₹2 lakh

• Ramprasad alias Ramau: ₹4.50 lakh

• Ghuruwa Ram: ₹1.50 lakh

• Dinesh Kumar Yadav: ₹4.50 lakh

The total amount of counterfeit currency seized in connection with the case was therefore ₹12.50 lakh.

Police also seized a printer/photocopy machine, mobile phones and a Tata Punch EV.

Case Registered Under BNS

A case has been registered at Pondi outpost under Bodla police station as Crime No. 101/26 under Sections 179 and 318(4) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). Sections 178, 180 and 181 were also added during the investigation.

Police are now investigating how many counterfeit notes the accused allegedly printed and where they may have circulated them.

Investigators are also examining whether other people were involved in the alleged operation and whether the three accused had previously supplied counterfeit currency elsewhere.

The arrested accused have been sent to jail, while further investigation into the alleged counterfeit currency network is underway.

A routine attempt to circulate a counterfeit ₹200 note at a local eatery has led to the busting of an illegal fake currency printing press in Indore. Vigilant staff at a restaurant intercepted the suspect, triggering a follow-up raid by the police that culminated in the arrest of the mastermind and the recovery of counterfeit bills worth ₹44,000 alongside high-end printing machinery.

The operation was spearheaded by the Gandhi Nagar police following an alert from the commercial hub on Thursday.

Vigilant Eatery Staff Foil Circulation Attempt

According to police officials, the breakthrough occurred under the jurisdiction of the Gandhi Nagar police station on June 25. Yashwant Yadav, a resident of Rajnagar, was managing his commercial outlet, Sanwariya Restaurant, when a young customer ordered tea and snacks.

Upon receiving the bill, the customer handed over a ₹200 currency note to settle the payment. Yadav immediately noticed discrepancies in the texture and security features of the paper. Acting quickly, Yadav alongside his staff member, Ashish Chouhan, cornered the customer and alerted the police control room.

A police patrolling unit arrived at the scene and took the suspect into custody.

Singapore Township Raid Exposes Printing Unit

During preliminary on-spot frisking, investigators recovered additional counterfeit notes totaling ₹4,000 from the suspect, identified as Deepak Patel, a resident of Ataheda in the Depalpur area.

During sustained interrogation at the station, Patel cracked and confessed that he was merely a courier. He named Sanjay Vaishnav, a resident of the upscale Singapore Township, as the supplier who handed him the batches to inject into local retail markets.

Seizure Breakdown:

├── Recovered from Courier (Deepak Patel): ₹4,000 in fake notes

└── Recovered from Mastermind (Sanjay Vaishnav): ₹40,000 in fake notes & 1 Printing Machine

Acting on this intelligence, a Gandhi Nagar police team raided Vaishnav’s residential premises in Singapore Township. The raid resulted in the arrest of Vaishnav and the seizure of another ₹40,000 in counterfeit currency notes, along with a specialized printing machine, high-grade paper sheets, and ink cartridges used to replicate legal tender.

Main Accused Has Prior STF Record

A background check on the primary operator revealed a history of economic offenses.

"Our verification indicates that the mastermind, Sanjay Vaishnav, was previously arrested by the Khandwa Special Task Force (STF) in an identical counterfeit currency racket. After being released on bail from prison, he shifted base to Indore and revived the illicit trade," stated Anil Yadav, Gandhi Nagar Town Inspector.

Local intelligence units have been roped in to trace the procurement source of the specialized paper used by the accused. The police have registered a case under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) dealing with counterfeiting currency notes, and both accused have been remanded to police custody for further investigation into their distribution network across neighboring districts.