ID :
36859
Mon, 12/22/2008 - 01:00
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http://m.oananews.org//node/36859
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Currency racket with possibly terror links busted in Nepal
Kathmandu, Dec 21 (PTI) Nepalese authorities have
busted a major criminal network operating between Pakistan,
India, Nepal, Bangladesh and Gulf countries with the arrest of
a foreign currency racket kingpin Aslam Ansari, who is
suspected to have links with terror networks in South Asia.
58-year-old Aslam, a Pakistani national from Karachi,
and his accomplice Mohammad Jehangir, 25, who hails from
Sitamarhi district in Bihar, were arrested along with their
Nepali partner Nasim Ansari, 27, from a hotel in Birgunj, a
border town in southern Nepal Saturday, according to Police
Inspector Krishna Prasad Sharma.
The police have recovered Rs 1.2 lakh counterfeit
currency in 1,000 denominations from the hotel where they were
staying. The arrest was made on the basis of information
furnished by Sajid Ansari, from Birgunj, who was arrested in
November along with counterfeit Indian currency worth nearly
Rs. 8 lakh.
In Nepal possession of Indian currency in
denominations of Rs. 500 and Rs. 1,000 are considered illegal.
As per our information, Aslam has traveled between
Pakistan and Kathmandu for 6-7 times within 2-3 years period
and he was arrested in Kathmandu in 2005 in connection with
counterfeit currency and later release on bail, Sharma said.
The police officer said that they might have terrorist
connection as the police have suspected their involvement in
narcotic drugs, arms supply and counterfeit currency racket.
We are investigating whether he has supplied the fake
currency to the terrorists, the police said.
The busting of the gang with possible terror links
comes as India blamed Pakistan-based militants of carrying out
the Mumbai carnage, which killed nearly 200 people last month.
India has also accused Pakistani terror groups of funding
militancy in Jammu and Kashmir and other parts of India
through ciculation of counterfeit currency.
Nepal Police reportedly learnt from Nasim that the
smuggling network had spread from Pakistan to Kathmandu’s
Nakhu jail. Nasim was operating a travel agency in Kathmandu
and was involved in providing fake travel documents for
Pakistanis in Nepal and to facilitate their trips between
Pakistan and Kathmandu, according to the police.
The police have also recovered mobile phone sets and
master cards of different countries from them.
"The Rs 1.20 lakh counterfeit currency we recovered
from them was just samples of a bigger deal and we have
information that they were trying to make a deal of one crore
with an Indian party," the police official said.
“Earlier, we were able to nab only the carriers, but
the arrest of a real culprit has brought the kingpins to the
surface," Sharma stressed.
The police said they were preparing to file a case
against the three in the Nepalese court for trial. If found
guilty they might get a maximum of 10-12 years jail sentence
in the fake currency racket. PTI
busted a major criminal network operating between Pakistan,
India, Nepal, Bangladesh and Gulf countries with the arrest of
a foreign currency racket kingpin Aslam Ansari, who is
suspected to have links with terror networks in South Asia.
58-year-old Aslam, a Pakistani national from Karachi,
and his accomplice Mohammad Jehangir, 25, who hails from
Sitamarhi district in Bihar, were arrested along with their
Nepali partner Nasim Ansari, 27, from a hotel in Birgunj, a
border town in southern Nepal Saturday, according to Police
Inspector Krishna Prasad Sharma.
The police have recovered Rs 1.2 lakh counterfeit
currency in 1,000 denominations from the hotel where they were
staying. The arrest was made on the basis of information
furnished by Sajid Ansari, from Birgunj, who was arrested in
November along with counterfeit Indian currency worth nearly
Rs. 8 lakh.
In Nepal possession of Indian currency in
denominations of Rs. 500 and Rs. 1,000 are considered illegal.
As per our information, Aslam has traveled between
Pakistan and Kathmandu for 6-7 times within 2-3 years period
and he was arrested in Kathmandu in 2005 in connection with
counterfeit currency and later release on bail, Sharma said.
The police officer said that they might have terrorist
connection as the police have suspected their involvement in
narcotic drugs, arms supply and counterfeit currency racket.
We are investigating whether he has supplied the fake
currency to the terrorists, the police said.
The busting of the gang with possible terror links
comes as India blamed Pakistan-based militants of carrying out
the Mumbai carnage, which killed nearly 200 people last month.
India has also accused Pakistani terror groups of funding
militancy in Jammu and Kashmir and other parts of India
through ciculation of counterfeit currency.
Nepal Police reportedly learnt from Nasim that the
smuggling network had spread from Pakistan to Kathmandu’s
Nakhu jail. Nasim was operating a travel agency in Kathmandu
and was involved in providing fake travel documents for
Pakistanis in Nepal and to facilitate their trips between
Pakistan and Kathmandu, according to the police.
The police have also recovered mobile phone sets and
master cards of different countries from them.
"The Rs 1.20 lakh counterfeit currency we recovered
from them was just samples of a bigger deal and we have
information that they were trying to make a deal of one crore
with an Indian party," the police official said.
“Earlier, we were able to nab only the carriers, but
the arrest of a real culprit has brought the kingpins to the
surface," Sharma stressed.
The police said they were preparing to file a case
against the three in the Nepalese court for trial. If found
guilty they might get a maximum of 10-12 years jail sentence
in the fake currency racket. PTI
