Counterfeit currency racket busted in Hyderabad, fake notes worth ₹2.91 crore seized

The seized items were displayed during a press conference on Wednesday.

The commissioner’s task force, Shamshabad zone team and Balapur police found three men in Hyderabad who were printing and distributing fake Indian currency notes. Police seized ₹2.91 crore in fake currency notes, apart from the equipment and material used to prepare them.

The accused have been identified as Ramavath Ramu alias Mohammed, 36, a food delivery worker, his relative Ramavath Mothilal, 35, a cycle taxi driver, and Ramavath Gandhi, 19, an autorickshaw driver. All three are residents of Chinthal Thanda in Vaddipatla. Another alleged associate, Sudheer John Chela alias Vamshi of Nagole, Bandlaguda, is absconding, police said.

According to the police, Ramu and Mothilal learned how to prepare counterfeit currency by watching videos on YouTube and Instagram. “Mothilal later came across an announcement on YouTube about the production of counterfeit currency. The phone number shown in the announcement was allegedly used to contact the person who explained the required materials, including a color printer, scanner and office paper,” Shamshabad Zone Task Force Inspector D. Krishna Mohan explained.

The accused allegedly purchased a color printer and other materials and started preparing fake currency notes. Police said they also tried to replicate the watermark on genuine notes.

Counterfeit notes were said to be circulating in small quantities in wine shops and vegetable markets, especially at night. The police also suspect that Gandhi was being used to spread fake notes in the market.

437 counterfeit ₹500 notes, 648 counterfeit ₹100 notes and 39 counterfeit ₹200 notes with a total face value of ₹2,91,100 were seized. The police also seized four genuine ₹500 notes and four genuine ₹100 notes, allegedly used as samples for copying.

The accused and the seized property were handed over to the Balapur police for further investigation.

Ramu was earlier booked in a case dated 2022 at Nalgonda police station under the provisions of IPC and Dowry Prohibition Act, police said.

Published – 03 Sep 2026 0:14 IST