New Delhi, March 3 Seven individuals were convicted in a 2015 case of smuggling fake Indian currency by a special court of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in Visakhapatnam and sentenced to imprisonment ranging from seven to ten years, an official statement issued here on Tuesday said.
The conspiracy, which involved trafficking high-quality fake Indian currency notes (FICN) through the Indo-Bangladesh border and their circulation in various parts of the country, aimed to disrupt India's financial security, according to the National Investigation Agency (NIA).
The court has imposed varying terms of imprisonment, ranging from seven to ten years, along with fines on the seven convicted individuals, the statement said.
The accused, who hail from Assam, West Bengal, and Karnataka, have been identified as Saddam Hossain, Roustum, Amirul Hoque, Mohammad Hakim Sheikh, Saddam Hussien, Sayed Imran, and Mohammed Akber Ali, it said.
According to court orders, Saddam Hossain of the Barpeta district of Assam will undergo a 10-year imprisonment (SI) and pay a fine of Rs 5,000.
The accused was arrested by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), Visakhapatnam, in September 2015, following the seizure of high-quality FICN with a face value of more than Rs 5 lakh at the Visakhapatnam Railway Station, while he was travelling by train.
Amirul Hoque, also from Barpeta, will also undergo a 10-year imprisonment with a fine of Rs 5,000 (or an additional 1 year imprisonment in case of non-payment), the agency said.
Roustum of the Malda district, West Bengal, has been sentenced to 7 years of imprisonment with a fine of Rs 2,000, while Mohammad Hakim Sheik of Malda has received a sentence of 8 years of imprisonment and a fine of Rs 5,000.
Saddam Hussein of Bengaluru has been sentenced to 7 years of imprisonment and a fine of Rs 2,000. "A similar sentence has been passed against Sayed Imran of the Mandya district, Karnataka, and Md Akbar Ali of the Kamrup district (Assam)," the statement said.
The NIA, which took over the case in December 2015, had filed chargesheets against Saddam Hossain in July 2016, followed by supplementary chargesheets against the other six accused during 2018 and 2019.
