Delhi Police busted a foreign racket engaged in distributing counterfeit US dollars and apprehended two individuals from Uzbekistan on April 18, police stated on Saturday.
The individuals involved have been named as Mirodial Umarov (30) and Farrukh Rasulov (33). These foreign nationals were specifically targeting money changers.
DCP Devesh Mahla said, “The operation unfolded when Kapil Kumar, owner of Easy Forex, noticed suspicious behaviour from the two foreign nationals. They approached his shop, seeking to exchange US $100 bills for Indian rupees. Upon closer inspection, Kumar suspected the authenticity of the notes and alerted the police patrolling team nearby.”
He added that both individuals hailed from Tashkent, Uzbekistan. Upon conducting a search of their possessions, the police discovered a substantial quantity of counterfeit US currency totaling $12,000 in $100 denominations.
A case under Section 420/511/34 IPC was filed at Police Station Connaught Place. Upon investigation, it was found that the accused had entered India on April 15 and were staying at a hotel in Paharganj.
“Further, the accused confessed to their involvement in a previous incident on April 16, where they had successfully exchanged counterfeit US $7000 for Rs. 5,80,000 from another money changer,” DCP Mahla said.
The police confiscated the counterfeit notes found during the incident. Both individuals, Mirodial Umarov and Farrukh Rasulov, were brought before the court and remanded to police custody. The Embassy of Uzbekistan in New Delhi has been informed about the arrests.
The investigation of the case is currently ongoing.