Bengaluru Police busts gang circulating fake Indian currency notes; three held
Bengaluru, Jul 31: The city police has busted an inter-state counterfeiting network with the arrest of three men and seized 1,307 fake Indian currency notes of Rs 500 denomination with a face value of Rs 6.53 lakh from them, officials said on Monday.
The arrests were made after secret information was received at Cottonpet police station about the circulation of fake Indian currency notes by two men in their jurisdiction, following which a case was registered and an investigation initiated, they said.
According to the police, among the arrested accused, two hail from Kerala and they were caught from near the city railway station here in Bengaluru when they were allegedly found supplying fake Indian currency notes in small quantities in the busy locality of 'Majestic'.
Based on their disclosure, the third accomplice who hails from Tamil Nadu was nabbed from Hosur.
During interrogation, the third accomplice nabbed from Hosur told police that he sourced fake Indian currency notes from a man based in Bihar's Patna, a senior police officer said.
Investigation has revealed that the accused handled dealings related to sourcing and circulation of fake Indian currency notes through an Instagram account and these counterfeit notes were circulated mainly in the busy areas of Bengaluru like Majestic, City Railway Station and other markets, he said.
The accused from Tamil Nadu visited Patna often and get fake currency notes from his contact there. So far, they have received fake Indian currency notes of up to Rs 10 lakh face value from him, he added.
Earlier, the accused have also circulated fake notes of face value Rs three to four lakhs to their contacts based in Kerala, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh, the officer said.
With the arrest, a total of 1,307 fake Indian currency notes of Rs 500 denomination and a face value of Rs 6,53,500 in total have been seized from them, the senior police officer said.
Police said further investigation is underway to trace the main culprit based in Bihar who has been allegedly supplying fake India currency notes through the accused persons into southern India.
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.
Prez nod for FIR against AAP's Manish Sisodia, Satyendar Jain in Rs 2,000-cr classroom 'scam'
New Delhi, Mar 13 (PTI): President Droupadi Murmu has given her approval for the registration of an FIR against AAP leaders Manish Sisodia and Satyendar Jain in an alleged scam of Rs 2,000 crore in the construction of classrooms in Delhi government schools, sources said.
In 2022, the Delhi government's vigilance directorate recommended a probe into the alleged scam and submitted a report to the chief secretary.
The President has given her approval for registering the FIR against Sisodia and Jain in connection with the alleged scam during their tenures as ministers in the Arvind Kejriwal-led Delhi government, the sources said.
The Central Vigilance Commission (CVC), in a report dated February 17, 2020, highlighted "glaring irregularities" in the construction of classrooms in Delhi government schools by the Public Works Department (PWD).
The President's approval came under Section 17A of the Prevention of Corruption Act that pertains to "enquiry or inquiry or investigation of offences relatable to recommendations made or decision taken by public servant in discharge of official functions or duties".
Reacting to the development, senior AAP leader Saurabh Bharadwaj accused the BJP of carrying out a witch-hunt against its political rivals.
The BJP has no interest or intention to fulfil the promises it made to the people of Delhi. Its only agenda is to carry out a witch-hunt against its political rivals to stifle the voice of people, the former minister said in a statement.
The BJP-led central government has already decided to prosecute every political adversary of the party and grant approvals to move the case forward but it should wait for the judicial process to begin, he said.
In July 2019, BJP leader Harish Khurana and then AAP rebel MLA Kapil Mishra, now a minister in the Delhi government, lodged a police complaint about the alleged scam.
According to a report prepared by the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) of the Delhi government, the complainants alleged that there was a scam worth over Rs 2,000 crore in the construction of classrooms and school buildings in Delhi. The work was done at a highly inflated cost by the Delhi government.
The alleged scam involves the construction of around 12,748 classrooms.
The ACB report said the total expenditure incurred for constructing the classrooms and school buildings was around Rs 2,892.65 crore. They were allegedly constructed at the rate of Rs 8,800 per square feet, whereas it was common knowledge that the average construction cost (even for a builder of flats) was around Rs 1,500 per square feet.
The total cost for constructing a classroom and school building, according to the tender awarded, was allegedly around Rs 24.86 lakh per room, whereas such rooms are easily constructed in Delhi at around Rs 5 lakh per room, it said.
The prices were increased almost five times to defraud the taxpayer by siphoning off money from the public exchequer in the garb of construction cost, the report said.
Even for a 5-star hotel, top ultra-luxury quality construction is around Rs 5,000 to Rs 5,500 per square feet, it said.
The complainants submitted a copy of documents in which information received under the RTI Act in respect of the construction of 18 classrooms in the Govt Girls Senior Secondary School, Nathupura, Burari (school ID:-1207111) revealed that they were constructed at a cost of Rs 12 crore, the ACB report said.
