Fake notes worth Rs 1.22 cr seized from ISI’s carrier

Commissioner of Police M N Singh confirmed during a press meet this evening that the notes were printed in Pakistan and despatched to Dubai by the ISI. Counterfeit Indian currencies were being systematically smuggled into the country with the help of some Dawood Ibrahim henchmen, Singh added.

“ISI operatives could be smuggling fake currencies to damage the Indian economy,” he remarked.

The ring leader has been identified as Dawood Ibrahim’s cashier and ISI operative Aftab Yusuf Batki, now based at Dubai. He was a resident of Dongri in South Mumbai before he joined hands with the Karachi-based gangster.

Other associates have been identified as Aktar Hussain (27) a resident of Agripada, Abdul Batki alias KD residing in Pydhonie, Mohammed Memon from Mahim, Ismail Sayyed (Bandra) and Javed Khan (Mahim).

Part of the consignment was seized from Moonz Planet Cyber Cafe and Grace Palace Shopping Centre on S V Road at Jogeshwari (West). The suspects were caught when they were planning to despatch the counterfeit notes to other states like Karnataka, Bihar, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh and New Delhi, said Additional Commissioner of Police Subash Avate.

Interestingly, the suspects had managed to smuggle Rs 17 lakh to Hyderabad. The consignment was later recovered from one of the suspects, said the police.

Preliminary investigations have revealed that the fake notes were to be exchanged at the rate of Rs 30-40 (in Indian rupees) per Rs 100 (fake). The seized notes were in Rs 100 and Rs 500 denominations.

During interrogation the suspects revealed that Batki and some of ISI operatives have been paying carriers Rs 7,000 for smuggling the notes from Dubai, in addition to return air fare.

The ISI operatives ensured that all consignments were smuggled on different airlines operating from Dubai. This was a clever plan to avoid detection, the police added.

It is suspected that some officials attached to Sahar airport have been conniving with Dawood Ibrahim and his henchmen. They have been apparently smuggling the contraband from the airport and handing them over to Hussain in the city.

The seizure comes hot on the heels after confiscation of Rs 12.30 lakh counterfeit notes on Thursday evening. More than Rs 7 lakh of other denominations have also been recovered in the last two months, hinting at Pakistan’s large-scale plan to destablise the Indian economy, said a senior police officer.