Guwahati: A day after the seizure of smuggled gold worth Rs 55 crore — the biggest such haul in Assam — police struck again, arresting members of a suspected interstate gang and seizing fake Indian currency notes (FICN) with a face value of Rs 10.9 lakh.Police said the counterfeit notes were recovered from a vehicle intercepted during a late-night operation in Panjabari. The operation was carried out by Dispur Police Station personnel acting on specific intelligence.The arrested men have been identified as Anuj Gupta, 34 , of Unnao district, and Mahesh Shukla, 32 , and Roshan Gupta, 28 , both from Kanpur district. All are residents of Uttar Pradesh.Dispur police officer-in charge Bhaskar Malla Patowary told reporters, “We received information about suspicious movement of a vehicle with a UP registration on Tuesday night. It was intercepted and, during the search, we recovered fake currency kept in bundles.”Police suspect the seizure is linked to a larger counterfeit-currency trafficking network, though details have not been disclosed as the investigation is ongoing. Investigators are examining whether the accused were couriers, distributors or key operatives in the circulation of counterfeit notes.Patowary said police also recovered equipment commonly used in ATM robberies. Based on the items seized, police suspect the accused may have been planning to target ATMs in the city. “The items recovered are typically used by miscreants who come to Assam from other states to commit ATM robberies,” he said.A case has been registered at Dispur police station. Police said the fake currency was brought from Uttar Pradesh and the accused arrived in Assam on Monday.
