2 Uzbek Nationals Circulate Counterfeit US Dollars In Delhi, Arrested: Cops

Delhi Police busted a foreign racket involved in the circulation of counterfeit US dollars and arrested two Uzbekistan nationals on April 18, police said on Saturday.

The accused have been identified as Mirodial Umarov (30) and Farrukh Rasulov (33). The foreign nationals were targeting money changers.

DCP Devesh Mahla said, "The operation unfolded when Kapil Kumar, owner of Easy Forex, noticed suspicious behaviour from the two foreign nationals. They approached his shop, seeking to exchange US $100 bills for Indian rupees. Upon closer inspection, Kumar suspected the authenticity of the notes and alerted the police patrolling team nearby."

He further said that both were residents of Tashkent, Uzbekistan. The police said that a search of their belongings revealed a significant amount of counterfeit US currency, amounting to $12,000 in denominations of $100.

A case under Section 420/511/34 IPC was registered at Police Station Connaught Place.

The investigation revealed that the accused had arrived in India on April 15 and were residing at a hotel in Paharganj.

"Further, the accused confessed to their involvement in a previous incident on April 16, where they had successfully exchanged counterfeit US $7000 for Rs. 5,80,000 from another money changer," DCP Mahla said.

The recovered counterfeit notes from this incident were seized by the police.

Both accused, Mirodial Umarov and Farrukh Rasulov, were presented before the court and remanded to police custody. The Embassy of Uzbekistan in New Delhi has been notified of the arrests.

Further investigation of the case is underway.

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