Cooch Behar, 06th April: In a significant breakthrough ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, counterfeit currency notes worth Rs 23 lakhs have been seized from the Assam-Bengal border in Cooch Behar.
Significantly, three individuals have been apprehended in connection to the case. The arrested accused have been identified as Sanjeev Kumar, Durga Prasad Nishad, residents of Chhattisgarh and Abhijit Dutta from Assam.
It is to be noted that, security measures have been heightened with strict naka checking by the police at several borders ahead of the polls.
Reportedly, on Friday night, acting on a tip-off, the cops of Bakshirhat police station intercepted a four-wheeler with Assam registration at Sankosh area under the jurisdiction of Bakshirhat police station. Subsequently, the officials searched the vehicle based on suspicion and recovered a gift packet placed inside a bag in the vehicle.
Upon opening the packet, the police recovered a large quantity of counterfeit notes of Rs 500 denomination. Additionally, 46 numbers of original Rs 500 currency notes were retrieved which prompted the arrest of the three individuals including the driver Abhijit Dutta. The total value of the seized notes amounted to Rs 23 lakh 56 thousand.
Police sources revealed that the accused were in plans to smuggle the notes from Assam to another state. On Saturday, the accused were produced before the Tufanganj Session Court, where the court directed for a 10-day police-remand.