Surat: A special operations group (SOG) team of Surat Police has left for West Bengal to arrest Tahir Kalia, the mastermind behind a fake currency smuggling racket that funneled ₹6 lakh worth of counterfeit notes from Bangladesh to Surat via Bengal. Meanwhile, central agencies have also launched an investigation into the racket after identifying its Bangladesh connection and have gathered key details.

Last week, the SOG team raided Bapa Sitaram Society near Man Sarovar School in the Punagam area and arrested Vijay Narshibhai Chauhan and Suresh alias Guruji alias Chakor Mavji Lathidadiya. The police seized 18 counterfeit currency notes of ₹500 denomination, amounting to ₹9,000, along with other items, bringing the total value of the seizure to ₹1.25 lakh.

During the investigation, it was revealed that Suresh was arrested by Gujarat ATS three years ago and lodged in Sabarmati Jail. There, he met Tahir alias Kali alias Kalia alias Kalia Raijudin Sheikh, a resident of Malda, West Bengal, and was further drawn into the racket. Within nine months of his release, Suresh and Vijay had circulated ₹6 lakh worth of counterfeit notes in Surat’s retail market, all supplied by Tahir.

The SOG is conducting an in-depth investigation into the operation. Officers from the NIA, IB, and ATS have also interrogated the arrested suspects and gathered critical details. Given the high-quality counterfeit notes seized, RBI representatives have been briefed on the matter. Meanwhile, it has been learned that an SOG team has departed for West Bengal to apprehend mastermind Tahir Kalia. DeshGujarat