Police in Hyderabad have busted a major fake currency racket, arresting eight people who were printing and distributing counterfeit money across the city.
The joint operation by Mehdipatnam police and the Commissioner’s Task Force targeted locations at Eidgah Grounds and First Lancer. Officers seized fake Rs 500 notes valued at Rs 4.75 lakhs during the raids.
Kasthuri Ramesh Babu, a 35-year-old car mechanic from Tandur, led the counterfeiting operation. Seven other suspects, all between 21 and 23 years old, were also arrested from Hyderabad and surrounding areas.
This wasn’t Ramesh Babu’s first encounter with law enforcement. Both he and his sister K Rameshwari had been caught before in Gujarat and Hyderabad for similar crimes. The pair ran their fake money operation from their home in Tandur.
Police confiscated several items during the bust. These included the counterfeit notes, a Maruti Suzuki Fronx car, three motorcycles, and nine mobile phones.
Ramesh Babu revealed his detailed production process to investigators. He would scan real currency notes from both sides, then use digital editing to match exact sizes. The fake notes were printed on JK bond paper with a fake security thread made from green gift wrap paper glued onto each note.
The operation involved careful finishing touches. After printing, the fake notes were dried with heat guns and bundled to look like genuine currency bundles.
The distribution network operated through social media. Ramesh Babu used Instagram to find customers like Abdul Waheed and Mohd Abdul Khader. These initial buyers got four fake notes for every one real note they paid with.
The fake money then moved through multiple dealers. Each level reduced the exchange rate from 1:4 to 1:3, then finally to 1:2 before Syed Altamash Ahmed put the counterfeit notes into circulation.
All suspects are now in police custody and have appeared in court. Deputy Commissioner G Chandra Mohan and Additional DCP Iqbal Siddiqui oversaw the successful operation alongside dedicated officers from both police units.
