Bengaluru Currency Smuggling: NIA Court Sentences Woman to 6 Years of Imprisonment

A special NIA (National Investigation Agency) court in New Delhi sentenced a woman to six years of imprisonment in connection with Bengaluru fake currency case involving the smuggling of huge quantities of high quality Fake Indian Currency Notes (FICN) from Bangladesh into India via Karnataka.
The convicted woman, identified as Vanitha alias Thangam, received her sentence from the NIA Special Court in Bengaluru on Friday.

Under section 489B of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), Vanitha has been sentenced to six years of imprisonment. Additionally, she received a five-year imprisonment term under section 489C of IPC and a two-year jail term under section 120B of IPC. The court also imposed a total fine of Rs 20,000, as stated by the NIA. It was clarified that the sentences would run concurrently.

The case emerged when Karnataka Police seized high-quality FICNs with a face value of Rs 2,50,000 from Vanitha. Originally, a joint operation by state police and NIA had resulted in the seizure of fake notes worth Rs 4,34,000 from three accused individuals.

Initially, the case was registered by Karnataka Police under various sections of IPC based on a complaint from an NIA officer. Later, the NIA took over the case, conducting a thorough investigation and surveillance, which ultimately exposed the FICN racket led by the prime accused, Abdul Khadir.

Further NIA investigations revealed potential currency transactions involving fake notes by three individuals in Bengaluru. Between 2016 and 2022, the NIA filed chargesheets against a total of eight individuals. Three of these accused, namely Mohammed Sajjad Ali alias Chachu, M G Raju alias Master, and Abdul Kadir, were convicted by the special court.

The trio received sentences of six years imprisonment under section 489B of IPC, five years imprisonment under section 489C of IPC, and two years of imprisonment under section 120B of IPC. In addition, they were fined Rs 20,000.

Two other accused, Gangadhar Kholkar and Sabiruddin, were subsequently convicted by the NIA Special Court, receiving sentences of six years’ imprisonment and a fine of Rs 15,000 for offenses under sections of the Indian Penal Code-489B (using fake currency), 489C (possession of fake currency), 120B (criminal conspiracy), and 34 (common intent) of the Indian Penal Code.