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.