Six convicted in 2009 fake currency case

A special National Investigation Agency (NIA) court Wednesday convicted six people for possession and circulation of fake Indian currency notes of Rs.1,000 denomination, an official said here.

NIA Special Judge Prithviraj Chavan pronounced the accused as guilty under various sections of the Indian Penal Code and Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.

Special Public Prosecutor Rohini Salian said the case dated to May 14, 2009 when the state's Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) nabbed the six from the Mazagaon area of south Mumbai.

The ATS arrests followed a tip-off that they were planning to exchange the fake Indian currency. Later, the NIA took over the probe.

The NIA's 1,000-pages plus charge-sheet filed in November 2009 had identified one Shaukat as the "kingpin of the racket" and pointed to the involvement of a "hostile neighbouring country" in the crime.

The trial started December 2012 and the quantum of sentence is expected to be pronounced Thursday.

The accused were also charged with involvement in a larger racket and attempting to destabilising the country's economy with intentions to abet terror.

Three other accused are still at large, Salian said.

The case was among the first to be probed by the NIA after the agency was formed June 2009 following the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack, to probe major national crimes and terror cases.