NIA team to interrogate Jharkhand man

PUDUCHERRY: Officials of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) are likely to arrive in Puducherry on Monday to interrogate Mohammed Ismail Sheik of Jharkhand arrested for circulating counterfeit currency.Ismail is believed to have links with an international racket.On Sunday, a top police official said the  NIA team would interrogate Ismail to unearth the racket and trace the others involved.Inspector General J K Sharma had recently requested the NIA to send a team to question Ismail and assist the UT police in the probe into the case.At present, the NIA is investigating the operation of similar gangs in other states after several cases of fake currency being seized came to light this month.Ismail was arrested by the Gorimedu Police, who also seized fake notes with a face value of `1,90,500 from him, on Wednesday night (January 18).  Grilled, Ismail, a resident of Mansheika village in Narayanpur, Sahibganj district, Jharkhand, had named five accomplices. Special teams have been formed to nab the accused. They would also be travelling to several places in connection with the country-wide investigation.According to sources, the Jharkhand and West Bengal police have been informed about the arrest of Ismail, who is suspected to have links with a larger network operating in the country to destabilise the economy.Recently, the NIA arrested Morjahan Sheik from Malda, West Bengal, for allegedly acquiring fake notes from Pakistan and Bangladesh for circulation in states like West Bengal, Jharkhand, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Maharashtra, Delhi and Tamil Nadu.In the light of the developments, Senior Superintendent of Police V J Chandiran said banks would be urged to undertake an awareness campaign among the public to help identify counterfeit currency.