Two held with fake currency worth nearly Rs 23 lakh in Ludhiana

Two brothers were arrested with counterfeit currency worth nearly Rs 23 lakh in Punjab's Ludhiana district on Wednesday, police said.

The accused were identified as Vicky and Sahil Puhal, residents of Ludhiana's Tajpur and Ayali Khurd villages, respectively, they said.

Following a tip-off, Vicky and Sahil were arrested from Shimlapuri area when they were travelling on an unregistered motorcycle. Fake currency worth Rs 22.66 lakh was recovered from their possession, the police said.

The two are first cousins and work in the laundry section of Dayanand Medical College and Hospital in the district, they said.

A bag, a laptop, a printer, a laminator, two mobile phones, three cutters, eight ink tubes, tape rolls and 19 chemical pouches were also recovered from the accused and their motorcycle impounded, they added.

During preliminary investigation, Vicky and Sahil revealed that they got the idea of printing fake currency from YouTube, the police said.

A Naresh Kumar of Chattisgarh is the main customer of the duo, they said, adding that further investigation is underway.