UAPA charges dropped against two held for possessing of fake notes

The Mumbai Sessions Court on Wednesday dropped the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act charges against Haroon Rashid Naik and Asarar Ahmad Tailor, arrested by the Maharashtra ATS for possessing counterfeit currency. The court, while observing that it cannot be gathered that they were instigating people to enter into unlawful activities, however, convicted them for possession of counterfeit currency notes. Both were sentenced to six years of imprisonment. The court acquitted the third accused Azhar-Ul Siddhiqui.

According to the prosecution, on August 22, 2011, the ATS received a tip-off that Haroon was staying at Amber guesthouse at Dadar, and was in possession of a huge quantity of counterfeit Indian currency notes. Police reached the hotel and found a bag in his room, which had a bundle of currency notes of Rs 1000 and Rs 500 denomination. After they compared it to original notes they found that the notes found with Haroon were thicker and rough. They found 34 counterfeit currency notes of Rs 1000 and 127 counterfeit notes of Rs 500.

According to the cops, during the inquiry, Haroon admitted that the currency notes were fake and he had come to circulate them. During investigation, the names of Asarar and Siddhiqui cropped up and they were arrested. On the recovery of five Urdu books from the accused, the court said recovery of books itself does not indicate they were inciting any individual or provoking people. The court further said the evidence indicates the accused were found in possession of counterfeit currency notes but there is no evidence that they were raising funds for any terror act.

After the arrest of Haroon, a senior ATS officer had claimed that he had undergone training in Pakistan in 2001, and was influenced by Osama Bin Laden. Haroon is also being tried at the sessions court in connection with a triple blast in 2011.