Fake notes of Rs 1 cr face value seized, five arrested

The city crime branch has arrested five persons from different locations in Gujarat and seized from them fake currency notes with a face value of over Rs one crore, police said on Sunday.

While one of them was arrested on Saturday, the others were held on Sunday, police said.

The Surat crime branch took this action based on a tip-off and total 5,013 fake notes of Rs 2,000 denomination with Rs 1,00,26,000 face value were seized during the operation, they said.

The officials on Saturday arrested Pratik Chodwadia from a farm house near Kamrej in the district and recovered 203 fake notes of Rs 2,000 denomination from him. During his interrogation, he revealed the names of four others.

Based on his information, the police conducted a raid at a room in an under-construction Swaminarayan temple ashram in Ambav village of Kheda district and arrested the priest, identified as Swami Radharaman, they said, adding that fake notes of Rs 50 lakh face value were recovered from him.

Three others- Pravin Chopda, Kalu Chopda and Mohan Wadhurade- were arrested from Sarthana in Surat district, they said.

All of them have been booked under IPC sections 489 (counterfeiting currency notes), 120 (b) (conspiracy) and 34 (acts done by several persons towards common intent), police said.