Khammam police bust Andhra gang circulating fake currency; seven held

Khammam police busted an Andhra Pradesh-based gang circulating counterfeit currency. Seven accused, including a truck driver and a fake doctor, were arrested after defrauding a grocery merchant with fake Rs 500 notes.

Khammam: Vemsoor police in Khammam busted an Andhra Pradesh based gang that was circulating counterfeit currency and defrauded a grocery merchant at Kandukur in Vemsoor mandal in the district.

According to police, a truck driver Maram Ramesh and his brother Maram Mahesh along with Sarnala Ravindra, exploring ways to make easy money, consulted Dasari Pramod and Miriyala Chandu, who in turn introduced them to an acquaintance Jujjavarapu Ravi, who was involved in circulating counterfeit currency.

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Ravi took genuine currency notes worth Rs 1 lakh from Ramesh and Ravindra; handed over counterfeit currency worth Rs 2.10 lakh with Rs 500 denomination. Then they circulated the fake notes mixed with genuine ones in Sathupalli, Vemsoor in Khammam and Andhra.

In the course of these events, Ramesh handed over counterfeit notes worth Rs 9,000 and an equal amount of genuine notes to the merchant Koppula Nagi Reddy at Kandukur on July 21 and had the equivalent amount transferred to their account through PhonePe app. When he attempted to deposit the money at a bank, officials identified counterfeit notes in the cash.

Ravi received the counterfeit notes worth Rs 2.10 lakh that he distributed to the other accused from another prime accused Kovvuri Vinod Sathish Kumar Reddy of Kakinada, who posed as a doctor and ran two hospitals. He paid genuine notes worth Rs 50,000 to get the fake currency.

Ravi was earlier arrested by the Luxettipet Police in Mancherial district for supplying counterfeit currency notes and was released on bail. Sathish Kumar Reddy was arrested and jailed by Raidurgam police for circulating counterfeit currency in Hyderabad.

Based on the complaint of the trader, Vemsoor SI Kavitha registered a case. The investigation was taken up by Sathupalli rural CI ML Muthulingaiah. Police seized 59 counterfeit Rs 500 notes from the accused.
All the seven accused belong to different parts of Eluru district in Andhra Pradesh.

A case under Sections 79, 318(4), 61(1) read with 3 and 5 of BNS was registered against the accused and they were remanded to judicial custody.