The Ahmedabad Crime Branch seized Rs 2.38 crore of fake currency, arrested seven from Surat, uncovered a printing unit, links to the Satyam Foundation, and the use of AI tools; hunt on for wider network and Ahmedabad agents.
The Ahmedabad Crime Branch has busted a major fake currency racket, seizing counterfeit notes worth Rs 2.38 crore and arresting seven people, officials said.
Of the total haul, fake notes worth Rs 2.10 crore were recovered from Ahmedabad, while Rs 28 lakh was seized during a follow-up raid in Surat.
According to police, the accused were caught while transporting the counterfeit currency from Surat to Ahmedabad in a white Toyota Fortuner. The vehicle was intercepted near Amraiwadi after a tip-off.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime Branch) Ajit Rajiyan said teams had been deployed in advance after receiving intelligence inputs.
“Our teams were waiting for a white Fortuner car (GJ05 RS 5252). As soon as the vehicle reached between metro pillars 29 and 30, it was stopped. During the search, bundles of fake Rs 500 notes were found packed inside a white plastic box in a black bag,” he said.
Police detained all occupants of the car, including a woman. Officials said the serial numbers on the seized notes were different, indicating a large-scale operation.
Further investigation led the Crime Branch to a house in Surat’s Sarthana area, where counterfeit notes were being printed. In a joint raid with Surat Police, officers recovered fake currency worth Rs 28 lakh along with printing equipment, ink, and raw materials.
During questioning, police uncovered the alleged involvement of Pradeep Jotangia, a yoga instructor who runs the Satyam Foundation in Surat. Investigators said the accused had been operating the racket for the past six months and were selling fake currency at a 25% commission.
The main accused, Mukesh Thummar, allegedly set up the printing unit at his residence. Police said he sourced green security thread paper marked “RBI” and “Bharat” from Chinese suppliers through websites such as Alibaba and made payments via digital gateways.
Officials added that Thummar, who is skilled in Photoshop editing, used advanced techniques to design the counterfeit notes. The accused also allegedly used AI tools, including ChatGPT, to make the fake currency appear more realistic.
Those arrested have been identified as Pradeep Jotangia, Mukesh Thummar, Ashok Mawani, Ramesh Balar, Divyesh Rana, Bharat Kakadiya, and a woman, all residents of Surat.
Police said the Fortuner used in the operation belonged to Jotangia and carried a board of the Ministry of AYUSH, raising further suspicion about the network’s methods.
So far, officials have recovered 42,000 fake Rs 500 notes from Ahmedabad and 5,600 such notes from Surat. Other items seized include security thread paper rings, an electric press machine, a note-counting machine, printers, a laptop, paper-cutting machines, and ink.
