CI Patiala uncovers fake currency operation in Malerkotla; 4 in custody with Rs 5.50 lakh; more arrests likely- AIG Simrat Kaur
Kanwar Inder Singh/ royalpatiala.in News/ May 18,2026
Dealing a major blow to the circulation of Fake Indian Currency Notes (FICN) amidst the ongoing drive to make Punjab a safe and secure state, Counter Intelligence Patiala (CI Unit Malerkotla) has busted a fake currency module with the arrest of four individuals and recovered counterfeit currency worth Rs 5.50 lakh, said Director General of Police (DGP) Punjab Gaurav Yadav here on Monday.
Those arrested have been identified as Nazar Khan, a resident of village Jhunir in Malerkotla; Raj Mohammad, a resident of Dhuri in Sangrur; Mukhtiyar Singh alias Gurjit Singh, a resident of village Malikpur in Jind, Haryana; and Asif Ali, a resident of Malerkotla.
DGP Gaurav Yadav said that all the recovered fake Indian currency notes are in Rs 500 denomination. Preliminary investigation has revealed that arrested accused Raj Mohammad already has a criminal background, with one FIR related to the NDPS Act registered against him, he said.
The DGP said that further investigation is underway to establish forward and backward linkages of this network.
Sharing operational details, AIG CI Patiala Dr Simrat Kaur said that in a meticulous operation carried out by the team of the CI Unit Malerkotla, two suspects— Nazar Khan and Raj Mohammad— were arrested and Rs 4 lakh fake Indian currency notes were recovered from their possession. During further investigation, two more accused— Mukhtiyar Singh alias Gurjit Singh and Asif Ali were also arrested and Rs 1.5 lakh additional fake Indian currency notes were effected from their possession, she said.
The AIG said that more arrests and recoveries are likely in coming days as investigation progresses.
In this regard, a case FIR No 159 dated 17.05.2026 under sections 179 and 180 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) has been registered at Police Station Amargarh in Malerkotla.
