Two key players in espionage and counterfeit money network arrested in Bihar, Jammu and Kashmir

Two key operatives of a pan-India espionage and counterfeiting network have been arrested in Bihar and Jammu and Kashmir this week following a series of meticulous operations and intelligence efforts.

The breakthrough came after an intelligence-based checkpoint was set up near Shankar Dhaba in Bihar.

During this operation, three people on a red motorcycle without number plates were stopped for routine checks. The suspects tried to evade arrest and led the police on a chase. They were eventually arrested near Khadwa Bridge.

During interrogation, the trio admitted to having smuggled counterfeit Indian currency notes (FICN) from Nepal via Delhi to Jammu and Kashmir three times.

On Wednesday, Mohd Nazar Shamshad – known by his alias Saddam – a key figure in this counterfeit currency network, was arrested by the police in East Champaran (Motihari) near Raxaul, close to the India-Nepal border. Shamshad, a resident of Bhagalpur, Bihar, was in possession of counterfeit currency worth Rs 1.95 lakh. Along with Shamshad, two other persons, Mohammed Warris and Mohammed Zakir Hussain, were also identified.

The successful operation followed months of intensive intelligence work and inter-agency coordination. Military Intelligence (MI) had identified suspicious activities linked to Shamshad and his superior Muzaffar Ahmed Wani, alias Sarfaraz, of Anantnag in Jammu and Kashmir. The MI investigation revealed that Wani was running the operations behind the scenes and coordinating with a Pakistani intelligence agency.

After Shamshad's arrest, Wani fled Anantnag, but the Jammu and Kashmir police quickly traced his whereabouts and arrested him.