CBI identifies kingpins of fake currency, foreign bank draft dealers

Agartala, Sep 05 (UNI) The CBI has identified one Kamal Hussen of Comilla district in Bangladesh and his 14 other associates as kingpins of fake currency racket in Tripura while deciding to seek help from the International Police (INTERPOL) for his arrest.

Police said here today that besides Hussen, the CBI confirmed that Sahid Mian alias Bhuttu, resident of Durgapur village along Tripura-Bangladesh border in Sonamura, was involved in the racket of fake foreign bank drafts and had encashed about Rs three crore from different banks of Tripura in the past two years.

''The CBI has already interrogated the bank officials and a few of the accused dealing with fake currency and foreign bank drafts and asked them not to leave the state while instructing the state police to monitor their movements,'' a senior police official here said.

A three-member CBI team, led by Inspector Sanjoy Sen, arrived here on September 3 following fresh report of detection of fake foreign bank drafts in two different banks in North Tripura last week.

The cases of fake bank draft deals were handed over to CBI in 2006 when Rs 2.8 crore had been drawn against 561 fake drafts of various foreign banks from three nationalised banks of Tripura.

Police said as many as 59 people were identified in the fake foreign bank draft deals and 58 people had already been arrested so far.

''After recent arrest of two more persons from Indo-Bangladesh bordering villages for depositing two fake drafts issued by Alradhi Bank of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in two different banks, CBI officials came here and launched investigation,'' police officials said, adding that the main miscreants procuring and fake drafts and fake currency were identified.

Meanwhile, East Agartala Police recovered foreign money comprising currencies of Indonesia, Oman and Bangladesh from the house of one Shanka Roy in Jogendranagar area of the city last night but could not arrest anybody.

UNI BB DPM AB 10.01.