Police Arrest Seven in Shantilal Layout Counterfeit Currency Racket

Bengaluru South district police have busted a counterfeit currency racket operating out of an under-construction house in Shantilal Layout and arrested seven suspects, officials announced on Tuesday.

The arrested individuals have been identified as Santhosh, 35, Sampath, 33, Renukaraj, 31, Rajesh, 34, Sathish, 36, Shivaraj, 42, and Govindaraj, 50. Police identified Sampath, a resident of Bengaluru South district, as the suspected linchpin of the operation.

According to investigators, Santhosh, a resident of Gejjepura, owned the under-construction property in Shantilal Layout where the operation took place. He allegedly allowed the group to use the premises for two months in exchange for a financial commission. Officials noted that the syndicate involved both local residents and individuals from other states.

During the raid, officers seized 10 bundles of white paper valued at approximately Rs 5 lakh, alongside chemical solutions, cloth, glass sheets, tables, and other apparatus used to manufacture fake currency. No fully completed counterfeit currency notes were found at the location during the search.

Police said the group applied a chemical coating to the paper sheets before cutting them down to the exact dimensions of real currency notes. The treated sheets were subsequently transported to separate locations for additional processing.

Preliminary investigations revealed that the suspects had been actively working on the chemical preparation and cutting process for roughly 10 days, aiming to supply the prepared sheets to a contact. Investigators stated that the raid uncovered only an initial stage of the overall counterfeiting operation.

A case has been registered by the Ijoor police, and further investigation is underway to identify the broader network and locate other sites used for the advanced stages of production.