In a significant breakthrough, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) has apprehended a long-time fugitive Nepali national linked to a high-profile fake Indian currency operation dating back to 2014. Noor Mohammad, a resident of Bara district in Nepal, was nabbed from Shahpur Patori police station area in Bihar’s Samastipur district on Sunday.
The arrest comes after years of pursuit, with a non-bailable warrant issued against him. The NIA had filed a chargesheet against Noor Mohammad in November 2017 before a special court at Patiala House in New Delhi. Investigations revealed his deep involvement in smuggling high-quality counterfeit notes worth Rs 49.88 lakh, seized at Indira Gandhi International Airport in April 2014.
These 4,988 fake Rs 1,000 notes had arrived from Dubai on April 17-18, 2014. Noor Mohammad conspired with co-accused Ikramul Ansari and Pakistani national Syed Mohammad Shafi alias Shafi Chacha to procure, transport, and circulate Fake Indian Currency Notes (FICN) aimed at destabilizing India’s economy.
NIA probes showed Noor arranged meetings among co-conspirators for forex and FICN supply chains. He closely monitored the delivery of the seized consignment. The case was registered in June 2014 under IPC and UA(P) Act sections.
This bust underscores ongoing threats from cross-border FICN networks involving Pakistan and Nepal. Earlier this year, on February 6, NIA charged Hyderabad resident Mohammad Fasi Uddin in a similar racket uncovered in Bihar’s Champaran, exposing international linkages.
Further investigations continue as NIA intensifies crackdown on terror financing through counterfeit money, safeguarding national economic security.