Special NIA court convicts sixth accused in Bengaluru fake currency case
New Delhi (PTI): A special NIA court has convicted a woman in the Bengaluru fake currency case involving smuggling of huge quantities of high-quality counterfeit banknotes from Bangladesh into India via Karnataka.
Vanitha alias 'Thangam' is the sixth accused to be convicted in the case.
She was sentenced to six years of imprisonment under Section 489B (using as genuine counterfeit currency notes) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), five years of imprisonment under Section 489C (possession of counterfeit currency notes) of the IPC, and two years of imprisonment under Section 120B (criminal conspiracy) of the IPC. All the sentences will run concurrently, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) said on Saturday.
The court also imposed a fine of Rs 20,000 on Vanitha.
In a joint operation with the NIA in 2018, the Karnataka Police had seized fake currency with a face value of Rs 2.50 lakh from Vanitha following the arrest of three other accused with counterfeit currency notes with a face value of Rs 4.34 lakh.
The case was initially registered by the Karnataka Police under various sections of the IPC based on the complaint lodged by an NIA officer in 2018, the agency said.
Subsequently, the NIA re-registered the case and mounted a thorough investigation and surveillance that led to the exposure of the fake Indian currency notes (FICN) racket headed by prime accused Abdul Khadir, it said.
Further investigations by the NIA indicated a potential transaction of fake notes by three people in Bengaluru, according to the agency.
Between 2018 and 2022, the NIA filed charge sheets against eight people. Three of these -- Mohammed Sajjad Ali alias 'Chachu', M G Raju alias 'Master' and Abdul Kadir -- were convicted by the special court to six years of imprisonment.
Two other accused, Gangadhar Kholkar and Sabiruddin, were also subsequently convicted and sentenced by the special court to six years of imprisonment, the NIA said.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
AIITA welcomes Karnataka’s ban on obscene songs in school events
Bhatkal: The Karnataka unit of the All India Ideal Teachers Association (AIITA) has welcomed the Karnataka government’s decision to strictly ban school children from dancing to obscene songs during educational and cultural programmes in government, aided, and private schools across the state.
AIITA Karnataka State President M. R. Manvi congratulated the government for taking what he termed an important step to preserve the sanctity of education.
“Such decisions to safeguard the dignity of school children and uphold the values of education are the need of the hour. This rule should not be limited to government schools alone but must be strictly implemented in all private educational institutions as well,” he said.
He further urged the government to address other concerns within school programmes.
“The government should not only prohibit obscene dances in the name of school anniversaries, but also ensure that plays and dialogues that incite religious hatred are avoided. Schools should be centres of harmony, not platforms for spreading hatred,” he added.
According to a recent circular issued by the Department of School Education and Literacy, obscene dances are adversely affecting the mental health and moral values of students.
In this regard, schools have been advised to use songs that promote nationalism, positive thinking, the greatness of Kannada culture, and value-based traditions instead of inappropriate content during programmes.
The circular also emphasises that students should be dressed in decent attire.
AIITA also backed the department’s warning that disciplinary action would be taken against head teachers if such guidelines are violated. The association has further demanded that district Deputy Directors of Public Instruction strictly monitor the implementation of these rules.
