Fake currency racket busted, couple held

A couple from Davanagere, who tried to cheat a medical shop owner with fake currency, was arrested by Karkala rural and Kaup police in a joint operation.

The arrested have been identified as Chethan Gowda (23) and his companion Arpitha Navule (22).

The duo, who arrived in a posh car, went to buy an ointment from a medical shop in Kedinje in Karkala at around 10 am.

The price of the ointment was Rs 43 and the duo handed over a note of face value Rs 200 to the medical shop owner Sudheer Shetty.

Shetty, however, grew suspicious as the note lacked resemblance to the original currency. He rushed to a nearby bank in order to check the authenticity. The couple also took to their heels.

After ascertaining that the currency was fake, Shetty alerted Karkala rural police station Sub Inspector Nasir Hussain.

Hussain, in turn alerted the police in Kaup and Padubidri.

Following a joint operation, the duo were arrested at Kothalakatte under Kaup police station limits at around 5 pm.

The police seized four fake currencies of face value Rs 200 and the car worth Rs 10 lakh.

Scanning machine

The duo inspired by Youtube videos had ordered for a scanning machine through an online store. They used the machine to produce fake currencies.

The duo, however, had succeeded in fooling traders in places like Mysuru, Davanagere and Belagavi.