Man held for possessing fake Indian currencies in Purnia

Patna: Police arrested a man for possessing Rs 45,000 in counterfeit Indian currencies during a raid at his house in Fakir Takiya locality under Kasba police station area in Purnia district on Monday.

The operation was conducted by a police team led by the Sadar SDPO on the directions of Purnia SP Sweety Sehrawat. The arrested man, identified as Mohd Zubair Alam, was also allegedly involved in circulating fake notes in the area, police said.Acting on a tip-off, the police raided his residence and seized fake Rs200 notes—all bearing the same serial number, indicating they were printed together. “The accused has a previous record of a similar offence.

He had deposited fake notes in an ATM in Jan 2026. Police are investigating the source of the counterfeit currency and whether he is part of a larger network,” said Kasba SHO Purushottam Kumar.During verification, investigators found that the seized Rs200 notes carried identical serial numbers, confirming they were counterfeit. Fake notes of other denominations, including Rs100 and Rs50, were also recovered, the SHO said.

According to police, the accused was earlier linked to a counterfeit currency case registered on Jan 13, 2026, in which he had deposited six fake Rs200 notes through a bank ATM. Although the ATM flagged the notes as suspicious, the amount was credited due to a technical issue. Subsequent bank verification confirmed the notes were fake, and CCTV footage helped identify the suspect.Using his account details, the bank traced his identity, leading to the earlier case. Further investigation in that matter led to the latest raid and the recovery of a larger cache of counterfeit currency. “The accused is being interrogated. Police are trying to trace the source of the fake notes and ascertain whether he was producing them or working for a wider network. More raids may follow,” the SHO added.