Kolkata Court Sentences Two Key Accused in 2019 Malda Fake Currency Case

Two accused in the 2019 Malda fake currency case have been sentenced to rigorous imprisonment by the Kolkata special court of the NIA. The court has sentenced Asim Sarkar to seven years and Aladu alias Matur to five years. An ongoing trial involves an absconding Bangladeshi national.

Two key accused in the 2019 Malda fake currency case have been sentenced to rigorous imprisonment by the Kolkata special court of the National Investigation Agency (NIA). As per the NIA's findings, Asim Sarkar from Pilibhit, Uttar Pradesh, has been sentenced to seven years of rigorous imprisonment. His co-accused, Aladu alias Matur from Malda, West Bengal, will serve five years, as ruled by the special court in case RC-23/2019/NIA/DLI. Both have also received fines of Rs 10,000 and Rs 5,000, respectively.

The NIA stated that failure to pay the fines will result in an additional three months of rigorous imprisonment. The trial against absconding Bangladeshi national Abdul Rahim continues in connection with the seizure of High Quality Fake Indian Currency Notes (FICNs) by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) in September 2019. DRI officials confiscated 99 fake notes of Rs 2,000 and two of Rs 500 from Asim Sarkar, leading to his immediate arrest. Co-accused Aladu alias Matahu and Faijul Sk were later apprehended by the NIA, which took over the case in October 2019. Faijul Sk is already serving a five-year jail term for his involvement.

Investigations by the NIA revealed that all four accused were part of a criminal conspiracy aimed at procuring and circulating FICNs for unlawful gain, treating them as genuine currency. (ANI)

(With inputs from agencies.)