Representational image. (Picture: Reuters)
A Hyderabad city court today convicted 15 of the 25 accused in a case relating to a pan-India network of fake currency racketeers.
Those convicted by the court include Morjen Hossain from Malda district in West Bengal, Mohammed Hussain of Uttar Pradesh, Bablu Sheikh of Jharkhand and Mohammed Rakib Shaik of Medak district in Telangana. All of them are from areas from where terror activity has also been reported.
Experts have pointed out an organic link between fake currency and terror activity.
The accused are said to have circulated a large quantity of high-denomination and high quality of counterfeit Indian currency notes. The fake notes, of denomination like Rs 1000 and Rs 500 rupees had been distributed through a large network of people working as construction labour in New Delhi, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.
The case had been filed by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in 2012, under sections 489(b) and (c), read with 120(b) of the IPC and also the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.