On Wednesday, the Delhi High Court denied bail to a suspected smuggler in connection with an alleged conspiracy to bring high-quality fake currency and gold into the nation.

The court said that the growth of fake cash endangers the nation’s economic security and could have serious consequences for the economy, and that such networks pose substantial hurdles for law enforcement agencies.

While dismissing Abdul Wahid’s appeal against a trial court’s decision to reject his bail plea, a bench led by Justice Prathiba M Singh remarked that the evidence presented prima facie revealed his role in “facilitating the distribution of high-quality fake Indian currency.”

Wahid was seized by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on March 4, 2022, in connection with a case under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and the Indian Penal Code.

According to Amit Sharma, “The circulation of fake currency affects the nation’s economic security, and such activity could have a catastrophic impact on the economy.” Individuals involved in the distribution of fake currency use clandestine networks that span numerous nations. They do not use traditional forms of communication, and fake currency is usually placed into the market in a highly covert manner. Infiltrating networks linked to fake currency provides a considerable problem for investigating agencies.” The court, which also included Justice.

The court emphasized that at this point, only two witnesses have been interrogated in the ongoing trial, while the 29-year-old appellant has been in detention for two years.

“Given the severe punishment stipulated by Section 18 of the UAPA and the current stage of the trial, this court is not inclined to issue bail to the appellant at this time. The challenged trial court order, dated February 28, 2024, does not require this court’s interference. “The appeal is, therefore, dismissed,” the court concluded.

The appellant stands that he is only involved in import/export of burkhas and other garments and before the trial court gold have to be raised as a defense to be established.

However the court stated that, there are enough grounds to believe that the allegations against the appellant is prima facie true.

According to NIA , they recovers a face value of Rs 10 lakh fake currency and 175 kilos of gold worth Rs 8.5 lakh by customs officers from Mohammad Shahjan on January 12, 2022, at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport Terminal 3.

It was claimed that the appellant, who maintained a money-exchange counter, assisted the two other accused, Mohammad Shahjan and Amir-Ul-Haq, in importing FICNs and other counterfeit items from Dubai to India.

Mrsinghtv