Motivated by the popular OTT series ‘Farzi' streaming on Amazon Prime Video, which stars Bollywood actor Shahid Kapoor, a gang of five individuals attempted to replicate the fraud tactics shown on-screen by producing and circulating counterfeit currency notes with the face value exceeding lakhs in rupees. Allegedly, they were also involved in trading via the dark web by using fake profiles of foreign nationals. However, their illicit operation was brought to a halt when they were held by the Lucknow police on August 28.

The gang started printing fake currency notes after watching videos on the dark web and apps. Ashutosh Kumar, Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP), Aliganj said that the police unit was tipped off about the suspicious activities being done by the gang, a few weeks ago. The police team was present at Yadav Crossing when a secret informer tipped off about two men present inside a car on their way to deliver stacks of fake notes to another person. The police got into action and caught all three individuals.

"During interrogation, the arrested persons disclosed the names of their two aides who were arrested later," Kumar added. "We will take them into custody and will question them about other members of their gang", the ACP concluded.

Farzi

The accused were taken into police custody from the Madiyaon area of the city and were subsequently remanded to judicial custody after an FIR was filed against them under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, revealed Qasim Abidi, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), North.

“The accused individuals have been identified as - Vikas Dubey, 36, a property dealer from Madiyaon; Vikash Singh, 19, a student from Itaunja, both residents of Lucknow; New Delhi-based Vikash Bhardwaj, 42, an employee of a company installing mobile tower; Utkarsh Dwivedi, 18, a driver from Barabanki; and Ravi Prakash, also known as Avinash Pandey, 19, a hotel staff from Vibhuti Khand,” stated a press release issued by Lucknow police.

Drawing inspiration from the Farzi

“The group operated under a 1:5 profit margin, meaning that for every ₹1 lakh worth of fake notes they produced, they expected a return of ₹20,000,” stated DCP Abidi. “Drawing inspiration from the ‘Farzi’ web series, these men embarked on a venture to create counterfeit notes that bore an uncanny resemblance to genuine currency. These forged notes were then peddled to dealers for further circulation in the market," the DCP added. He further noted, “We are actively investigating the matter, and our suspicion is that more individuals might be implicated. There’s a concern that this gang might have already inundated the market with a substantial volume of fake currency.”

Police sources have revealed that the gang employed commonly available bond papers in the market to produce such counterfeit notes. Their process involved printing the notes using a standard printer and refining them using a lamination machine. “While the necessary equipment was readily accessible in the market, the refinement process was crucial in maintaining quality. Their skill in this technique was developed after initial trial and error, with the aid of instructional content found on Instagram reels,” highlighted Abidi.

All the confiscated notes have been sent for lab tests to identify its manufacturing process and know more about the raw material used.

Surprisingly, the seized counterfeit notes exhibit remarkable quality, complete with watermarks and security features found on the legal tender circulated by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). Interestingly, the gang had established a network that spanned across various states in India, including Bihar, West Bengal, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, and others. The business of fake notes has been thriving since the implementation of demonetization in 2016.

“Utkarsh Dwivedi and Ravi Prakash alias Avinash Pandey were primarily involved in the production of counterfeit notes, while Vikash Bhardwaj managed the distribution network across several states. The accused conducted their illicit operations from a hotel situated in the Vibhuti Khand area,” detailed DCP Qasim Abidi. Vikash Bhardwaj, the mastermind of the racket, used fake social media profiles of foreigners to find clients and take orders and then supplied fake notes in Delhi NCR, Maharashtra, and West Bengal.

The joint team of the crime branch of DCP North and Madiyaon police found the gang in possession of counterfeit notes of ₹500 denomination with a face value equal to ₹3,20,800. It was revealed by the DCP that this sum had taken them around 3-4 days to produce. In addition to the counterfeit notes, the police discovered a significant amount of discarded paper scraps, supposedly semi-prepared fake currency, which attested to their manufacturing process. The confiscated equipments also include counterfeit rubber stamps of RBI featuring Mahatma Gandhi and Rashtrapati Bhavan, eight android mobile devices, a printer, a scanner, some chemicals, a lamination machine, a laptop, ₹4,400 in cash, and multiple vehicles.

The miscreants confessed their crime and accepted that they had been circulating fake currencies in the country for a long time.

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