Six apprehended for kidnapping and duping in the name of counterfeit currency in Adilabad

Adilabad police apprehended six persons in a kidnapping case allegedly linked to a counterfeit currency racket. Three were accused of abducting three men to recover Rs 5 lakh, while police said five others, including members of a Nagpur gang, remained absconding

Adilabad: Six persons were apprehended on charges of kidnapping after three of them were allegedly duped with the promise of being supplied counterfeit currency here on Tuesday. Police seized a car, two mobile phones and Rs 30,000 in cash from the six. Five others were still absconding.

Adilabad DSP L. Jeevan Reddy said Shaik Shakeeb, Mohammad Sithar and Pratham Ravindra, all from Chandrapur district in Maharashtra, were apprehended for allegedly abducting Deepak Sriram of Yavatmal, and Sarkar Alok and Elchlawar Surender, both from Mavala.

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Deepak, Alok and Surender were also taken into custody for their alleged involvement in duping Shakeeb, Sithar and Pratham by taking Rs 5 lakh from them in exchange for counterfeit currency worth Rs 20 lakh. Prathik of Maharashtra and four members of a counterfeit currency gang from Nagpur were still at large.

During interrogation, Shakeeb and his associates allegedly confessed to kidnapping Deepak, Alok and Surender in an attempt to recover Rs 5 lakh that had earlier been snatched by an unidentified counterfeit currency gang from Nagpur, posing as police personnel, at Dasnapur crossroads on September 10.

Police said Shakeeb and his associates called Surender’s wife and demanded Rs 5 lakh. She approached Mavala police, who registered a kidnapping case and subsequently exposed a counterfeit currency racket. Shakeeb came into contact with Deepak, Alok and Surender through Prathik, who had links with the counterfeit currency gang.

Shakeeb and his associates were about to hand over Rs 5 lakh to Deepak, Alok and Surender, who were carrying a box containing counterfeit currency at the crossroads. Meanwhile, unidentified persons arrived at the spot, grabbed the money and fled towards Nagpur in two cars.

A search has been launched to nab Prathik and the four members of the gang.