AIMIM leader arrested in Rs 1.5-lakh fake currency case, father cries conspiracy

An AIMIM leader was arrested in West Bengal's Asansol on Saturday in a fake currency case following a raid on his hotel room. However, the party's state unit claimed that Danish Aziz was expelled from the AIMIM last month.

Police sources said Rs 1.5 lakh in fake currency were recovered, including 300 fake Rs 500 notes, along with 600 blank papers used for printing, colour dye and an iron machine from the hotel room. Aziz was arrested along with another accused, Mohammad Lal Khan.

Both have been charged under multiple sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) - 213/25, 178, 179, 180, 181, 182, 318/4 and 3/5. They were produced before a court, where the police demanded 14 days of custody for further investigation and to track other members involved in the racket. However, the judge granted five days of police custody.

Reacting to his son's arrest, Aziz’s father called it a "political conspiracy". He accused the Trinamool Congress of orchestrating the arrest, claiming, "This arrest was made at the behest of the Trinamool Congress as my son was preparing to contest an election from the Asansol North assembly seat."

He further said, "Asansol North has many minority voters and Danish Aziz's popularity was rising, which has become a threat to some political parties. That’s why he has been trapped in a conspiracy."

This is not the first time Aziz has been embroiled in a controversy. He was earlier arrested in a rape case of a woman from Jharkhand in West Bengal's Purulia district. The case is still pending in an Asansol court.