Prayagraj Police have revealed that a youth from Odisha is the mastermind behind a counterfeit currency operation discovered at a madrasa in Prayagraj. The key figure in this illegal scheme has been identified as Jahir Khan from Bhadrak district, Odisha.
Along with his accomplice, Mohammad Afzal from Kareli, Prayagraj, Jahir Khan was arrested for printing fake 100-rupee notes at the Jamia Habibia Masjide Azam Madrasa. The police confiscated 1,300 counterfeit notes, 234 uncut printed pages, a laptop, a colour printer, two reams of paper, and a stack of loose sheets during the raid.
According to Deputy Commissioner of Police (City) Deepak Bhuker, the madrasa’s cleric, Arifeen, had set aside a specific room where the counterfeit currency was being printed. The operation involved a trade where the counterfeit notes, worth Rs45,000, were being exchanged for genuine currency valued at just Rs15,000. This fraudulent activity had been going on for several months.
The investigation revealed that Jahir Khan had first visited the madrasa four years ago, and had become deeply involved in the counterfeiting operation over the past few months. Sources also indicate that the madrasa’s principal is also from Odisha.
After Jahir Khan’s arrest, police have planned further searches in Bhadrak, Odisha, to uncover any more potential links to the counterfeiting racket. Authorities are also preparing to approach the court for the remand of the detained suspects to conduct further interrogations about the full scope of the operation.