Monday, 21 OCTOBER 2024 | PNS | DEHRADUN
The Uttarakhand Special Task Force (STF) arrested a man with counterfeit notes amounting to Rs 80,000 from the Patelnagar area in Dehradun on the weekend amid heightened vigilance during the festive season. The accused Parmit Kumar was found operating a counterfeit currency racket under the guise of running a restaurant and was also running a fake job placement call centre, the Special Task Force senior superintendent of police Navneet Singh said. He stated that the STF had received multiple reports about individuals printing fake currency in Dehradun, with the potential for increased circulation during the festive season. Considering this, the STF launched an investigation and identified Parmit Kumar, who lived in Mulchand Enclave near ISBT. The authorities monitored his activities closely and discovered that he ran a restaurant on Canal Road, where he discreetly exchanged fake notes while conducting business, Singh said. He informed that the STF intercepted Kumar’s car in the wee hours of Saturday and arrested him. A search of his vehicle revealed two bundles of counterfeit Rs 500 notes, amounting to Rs 80,000. Further investigation led to the discovery of equipment used to make the fake currency, including a laptop, printer and unfinished notes amounting to Rs 14,000. The SSP claimed that the accused admitted during interrogation that he used the restaurant, named Annapurna, to pass off counterfeit notes by exchanging them with customers and making purchases in the market. He allegedly confessed to producing the fake currency at his rented flat using a printer and laptop, aiming to recover losses incurred by the restaurant and exploit the festive season demand. He also revealed that to supplement his income, he operated a fraudulent call centre named Multi Task Jobs from his flat. He reportedly targeted job seekers by obtaining contact numbers from various websites, luring them with promises of employment and then scamming them for amounts between Rs 1,500 and Rs 2,000, Singh said. He stated that the STF has launched a thorough investigation to determine the extent of the counterfeit currency’s circulation and identify other victims of the fraudulent job scheme.
Kumar has a history of criminal activities, with a previous case registered against him in 2022 for operating a fake call centre in Noida, Uttar Pradesh. The investigation is ongoing to uncover further details about his illegal operations in Uttarakhand, the SSP added.
