Gujarat Police has uncovered a fake currency racket and arrested four individuals, including Maulik Patel, an Indian-origin Australian citizen and the alleged mastermind behind the operation. The arrests were made after police seized 151 counterfeit notes of 50 Australian dollars each, intended to be exchanged for Indian rupees.
The racket, operated from an apartment in Ahmedabad’s Vatva area, was exposed following an investigation by the Special Operations Group (SOG). Patel, 36, originally from Gujarat’s Patan district, moved to Australia with his family two decades ago and became an Australian citizen in 2012. According to police, Patel turned to counterfeiting after suffering heavy financial losses in his transport business in Australia.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (SOG) Jayrajsinh Vala said the operation unraveled when police discovered Ronak Rathod, one of the accused, attempting to sell Australian dollars at ₹40 each—significantly below the market rate of ₹54 per dollar. Rathod was caught with 131 fake currency notes, which led officers to raid the Vatva apartment, where they apprehended Patel and two others, Dhruv Desai (20) and Khush Patel (24). An additional 20 counterfeit notes and equipment used for the operation, including a printer, laptop, and specialized materials, were also seized.
Inspector M.S. Trivedi, who led the operation, revealed that Patel had partnered with Desai to produce fake notes in India. The counterfeit currency was then handed over to Khush Patel, a middleman who passed it to Rathod for distribution. Rathod was promised a 5% commission for his role in selling the fake notes.
“After printing the notes, the group sold them at a significantly lower rate, promising commission-based incentives. This led to Rathod’s involvement, which ultimately helped expose the racket,” Vala stated.
Police are continuing their investigation to uncover further details about the operation and any potential links to other criminal activities.
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