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A special squad from Feroke police station has stepped up an investigation into a suspected counterfeit currency network after nabbing five youngsters, including two undergraduate students in history and nursing, for allegedly circulating fake ₹500 notes in the district.
The suspects — K. Dijin,19, C. Athul Krishna, 19, Amjad Shah,20, T. Afnan, 20 and K. Sarang, 20 — were arrested from Kozhikode and Malappuram districts on November 15 with 57 counterfeit currency notes in the denomination of ₹500.
The police, led by Assistant Commissioner of Police A.M. Siddique and Inspector T.S. Sreejith, were also able to recover a printer and 30 paper sheets procured for printing purposes during a flash inspection at the house of Dijin at Ramanattukara.
Although Sarang, a painting worker and Afnan, a history undergraduate student, reportedly admitted to initiating the illegal printing activity recently “as an experiment,” the investigators said they were yet to be convinced by the explanation. Preliminary findings suggested that the group might have received assistance from experienced gangs in the field and attempted to circulate counterfeit notes to more local residents in Ramanattukara, they said.
According to police sources, the seized fake notes and early evidence pointed to an organised effort to make substantial quantities of fake notes and circulate them for quick returns. They said the gang, however, used only low-quality papers as it was reportedly an experimental phase.
A senior officer associated with the probe said Sarang and Afnan were found to have key involvement in the illegal act. The printer and the papers used for the crime were purchased very recently, he said, adding that the probe was in full swing to track their past.
“The nature of the operation suggests they had external guidance. We suspect they were working with a more seasoned group,” the officer said. He also confirmed that the call details records of the suspects would be examined in detail, apart from checking their travel history to zero in on the other suspected close aides.
Published – November 16, 2025 04:32 pm IST
