Fake currency factory busted, 4 held in capital

The Detective Branch of police in a raid at Noorjahan Road in Dhaka's Mohammadpur area yesterday claimed to have busted a fake currency manufacturing mini-factory, owned by one Humayun Kabir who had previously been arrested six times for the same offence.

Along with Humayun (47), Jamal Uddin (42), Taslima Akter (30) and Sukhi Akter (30) were also arrested during the raid on the second floor of a six-storey building by the Detective Branch of Dhaka Metropolitan Police's Gulshan division.

Jamal is also an accused in two fake note-related cases.

Humayun hired Taslima and Sukhi at Tk 15,000 and Tk 10,000 per month to prepare special papers and glue and to cut the fake notes into size.

Kawsar, brother of Humayun, who is also a fake note manufacturer, was arrested earlier and is now in jail. Taslima's husband Saiful Islam was arrested by Rab in January. He is now in jail.

"They make fake notes throughout the year but they have become more active ahead of Durga Puja," Mashiur Rahman, deputy commissioner of DB, Gulshan division, told The Daily Star yesterday.

Two laptops, four printers, some note cutters, holographic thread, ink, special papers and many other materials -- through which around Tk 4 crore worth fake notes can be manufactured -- were recovered.

Law enforcers also seized fake notes worth Tk 49 lakh from the flat, Mashiur said.

They had the capacity to manufacture fake notes worth Tk 2 to 2.5 lakh daily. It cost them Tk 6,000 to make each lakh of fake currencies, the official said.

They then sold those at Tk 10,000 to small traders at different districts under Chattogram, Barishal, Rajshahi, Mymensingh and Rangpur divisions, he added.