By: Express News ServiceChandigarh | December 27, 2025 08:29 AM IST 3 min readPolice said the network was active across Delhi, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Jammu & Kashmir. (file)A BBA student was among five persons arrested, and fake notes to the tune of over Rs 7 lakh were seized from their possession, the Chandigarh Police on Friday said, claiming to have busted an interstate counterfeit currency note racket spread across five states.In addition to cash, police said, printers, laptops, tablets, printing ink and sheets of paper were also seized, and a vehicle was impounded.Police said the network was active across Delhi, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Jammu & Kashmir.Police identified the accused persons as Avinash Kumar from J&K, Satyam Vishwakarma from Delhi, Sandeep from Haryana and Abdulla and Shahzad from Uttar Pradesh — all aged between 20 and 27. Abdulla, who is involved in handicraft work, is a final-year BBA student, while Sandeep has completed his BCom degree. Satyam and Avinash studied up to Class XII, and Shahzad, who studied up to Class VIII, earns his living by selling clothes on a motorcycle.On December 19, police said, they received information that Avinash, wanted by the Rajasthan Police, was staying at a PG accommodation in Kajheri village in Chandigarh’s Sector 52. Acting swiftly, they conducted searches at multiple PGs and hotels. Avinash was apprehended from Kajheri, and counterfeit currency sheets and notes of Rs 500, Rs 200 and Rs 50 denominations were recovered from his bag, police said, adding that his associate Satyam was also arrested from the same PG.A search of their room led to the recovery of fake currency worth Rs 1,01,000, along with stamping foils and other printing material.Further investigation on December 20 led police to more evidence. Based on Satyam’s disclosure, police searched a white Brezza car parked nearby and seized counterfeit notes worth Rs 4,76,300. Subsequently, Sandeep, Abdulla, and Shahzad were also arrested, police said. According to investigators, the gang was operating across northern India and relied heavily on social media platforms and Telegram to procure and circulate fake currency.Story continues below this adPolice said the accused used printers and stamping foils to manufacture counterfeit notes. They explained that the accused connected through Instagram and Telegram, where they lured potential buyers by sharing videos and images of printed currency, and these social media accounts became a common meeting ground for transactions. Fake notes were typically exchanged at a ratio of 1:4, meaning Rs 4 lakh in counterfeit currency was traded for Rs 1 lakh in genuine notes, police said, adding that the ratio was, however, flexible and often adjusted through bargaining.Police further divulged that counterfeit currency notes were usually transported by courier companies, while in several cases, notes were delivered in person. Buyers either resold the fake notes at a lower ratio to make a profit or mixed them with bundles of genuine currency notes to avoid detection, thereby pushing counterfeit notes into public circulation, police added.Stay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram© The Indian Express Pvt LtdTags:Punjab