Mumbai: A special national investigation agency (NIA) court has sentenced Danish Petiwala, Kaleel Rahman, and Saraswati Dattaram for circulation and possession of counterfeit Rs 2,000 notes in 2020. The trio pleaded guilty and were given a sentence equal to the five years they have already spent in prison. They will be released if not wanted in any other case.
Seizure of Fake Notes
As per the prosecution, on February 7, 2020, Andheri customs officials intercepted a parcel from Malaysia containing 34 fake Rs 2,000 notes from Hotel Adya International, Andheri, where Petiwala and Dattaram had stayed.
Smuggling and Banking Channels
The NIA took over the probe and found that the accused used banking channels and postal services to smuggle counterfeit notes in exchange for genuine currency.
Use of Counterfeit Notes
The investigators alleged that Petiwala and Dattaram deposited Rs 45,000 into Rahman’s account, after which a Malaysian national Amir Mirza alias Rafiq Shaikh sent counterfeit notes concealed in cosmetics to a contact named Kapoor.
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Petiwala later collected the parcel from the postman and used the notes for purchases at Domino’s, a Goregaon mall, and for buying drugs, including cocaine and MD.
Cover-Up Attempts
The accused allegedly destroyed their phones on February 9, 2020, and bought new ones to avoid detection.
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