This month, a Delhi court is set to sentence a man convicted of dealing in counterfeit currency. However, the series of events that led to the man’s arrest was set into motion on a chilly afternoon on October 16, 2018, when a secret informer arrived at the office of the Anti-Auto Theft Squad (AATS) in Delhi’s Shahdara with a vital piece of information, as per court records.
The informer told Constable Manu that a man named Mohammed Hussain was selling counterfeit currency at the service road near the Cross River Mall in Shahdara. This tip-off led the police to believe that Hussain had been circulating and trafficking fake Indian currency notes (FICNs). The information was conveyed to Inspector Sanjay Sharma, the AATS in-charge, and a raiding team of five police officials was formed to bust Hussain’s network.
According to court records, Head Constable Giriraj posed as Yakoob, a decoy customer, and stood near the location where the informer had said he had seen Hussain. Giriraj then saw Hussain and went to strike a deal with him. For two genuine Rs 500 notes, he was given counterfeit currency worth Rs 2,000 by Hussain.
At close to 5 pm, Giriraj waved his hand—a predetermined signal decided by the raiding team—and the others closed in and apprehended Hussain within minutes. While conducting a search of the accused, the police found 29 fake Rs 2,000 notes from his right pant pocket. The recovered currency was sent to the Forensic Science Laboratory, Rohini, and after the results showed that the currency was fake, a chargesheet was filed on January 11, 2019, as per court records.
Six and a half years later, a Delhi court convicted Hussain under Section 489B of the Indian Penal Code (using as genuine, forged or counterfeit currency-notes or bank-notes).
“It is highly improbable that without any rhyme or reason for the police to pick only accused Mohd. Hussain and plant FICNs upon him…Moreover, in view of the unbreached testimonies of the witnesses available on record, the plea of accused regarding his false implication is without any basis,” Additional Sessions Judge Hardeep Kaur of Patiala House Court noted in her order dated May 30.
The counsel for Hussain had argued that the accused belonged to a poor strata of society and had been falsely implicated in the case. He argued that the money had been planted by the Delhi Police. The defence lawyer had also argued that no CCTV footage of the incident had been collected and no public witnesses had joined the investigation.
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“…this Court has no hesitation to hold that accused Mohd. Hussain having possession of 30 FICNs in the denomination of Rs.2,000/- reached at the spot in order to supply the same to the customers,” Additional Sessions Judge Kaur said.
Arguments on Hussain’s sentence were heard on July 2. His sentence is likely to be decided on July 7.
Nirbhay Thakur is a Senior Correspondent with The Indian Express who primarily covers district courts in Delhi and has reported on the trials of many high-profile cases since 2023.
Professional Background
Education: Nirbhay is an economics graduate from Delhi University.
Beats: His reporting spans the trial courts, and he occasionally interviews ambassadors and has a keen interest in doing data stories.
Specializations: He has a specific interest in data stories related to courts.
Core Strength: Nirbhay is known for tracking long-running legal sagas and providing meticulous updates on high-profile criminal trials.
Recent notable articles
In 2025, he has written long form articles and two investigations. Along with breaking many court stories, he has also done various exclusive stories.
1) A long form on Surender Koli, accused in the Nithari serial killings of 2006. He was acquitted after spending 2 decades in jail. was a branded man. Deemed the “cannibal" who allegedly lured children to his employer’s house in Noida, murdered them, and “ate their flesh” – his actions cited were cited as evidence of human depravity at its worst. However, the SC acquitted him finding various lapses in the investigation. The Indian Express spoke to his lawyers and traced the 2 decades journey.
2) For decades, the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) has been at the forefront of the Government’s national rankings, placed at No. 2 over the past two years alone. It has also been the crucible of campus activism, its protests often spilling into national debates, its student leaders going on to become the faces and voices of political parties of all hues and thoughts. The Indian Express looked at all court cases spanning over two decades and did an investigation.
3) Investigation on the 700 Delhi riots cases. The Indian Express found that in 17 of 93 acquittals (which amounted to 85% of the decided cases) in Delhi riots cases, courts red-flag ‘fabricated’ evidence and pulled up the police.
Signature Style
Nirbhay’s writing is characterized by its procedural depth. He excels at summarizing 400-page chargesheets and complex court orders into digestible news for the general public.
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