Hamirpur, April 18
Hamirpur Police have arrested two persons for their alleged involvement in a counterfeit currency racket after a 74-year-old shopkeeper was cheated in a currency exchange scam, officials said on Saturday.
According to police, the incident took place on April 9, when the shopkeeper, a resident of Loharda Bypass Road, was duped by the accused,, who used a fake currency exchange scheme. They allegedly handed over counterfeit Rs 200 notes in return for genuine Rs 500 notes.
Police said the suspects were identified with the help of CCTV footage, technical surveillance, the Intelligent Traffic Management System, and bank records, which enabled the tracing of the vehicle used in the crime. Acting on the inputs, the police intercepted the accused near Behnajata in Bilaspur while they were traveling in another vehicle.
During the search, officials recovered 16 fake Rs 500 notes and 33 fake Rs 200 notes from their possession.
Superintendent of Police, Hamirpur, Balbir Singh said, “Preliminary investigation suggests that the accused had been moving across various parts of Himachal Pradesh over the past few days and were specifically targeting small shopkeepers and elderly citizens.”
Police confirmed that the arrested individuals are natives of Punjab. However, their identities have not been disclosed as further investigation is underway to establish backward and forward linkages in the case.
A case has been registered under the relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. Authorities said the investigation is continuing to determine the wider network involved in the racket.
Police have also urged the public, especially small traders, to remain cautious and carefully verify security features of currency notes during transactions, and to report any suspicious activity to the Hamirpur police.
