A special court in Lucknow on Thursday sentenced a Nepalese national, who was arrested with counterfeit Indian currency worth over ₹26 lakh near the Indo-Nepal border in Maharajganj in 2015, to nine years and seven months of rigorous imprisonment.
Sheikh Javed Iqbal, also known as Ashfaq Ansari and Javed Ansari, was arrested by the Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) on February 23, 2015, near Sonauli border with counterfeit Indian currency worth ₹26,03,500, according to a statement issued by the ATS on Thursday.
The ATS had registered a case under sections 489B and 489C of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) at its Lucknow police station. Subsequent examination established that the seized notes were of high quality, while evidence gathered during the investigation indicated that the counterfeit currency had been imported from abroad. Section 16 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967, was subsequently added to the case.
After completing the investigation, the ATS filed a charge sheet against Iqbal before the court. The special judge, ATS, and additional district and sessions judge (III), convicted him of circulating counterfeit Indian currency and sentenced him to rigorous imprisonment for nine years and seven months, besides imposing a fine of ₹30,000.
The ATS attributed the conviction to the evidence presented in court and effective prosecution.
Iqbal, a resident of Belwa in Nepal’s Parsa district, was also residing in the Mehtab Bagh locality of Lucknow, the statement said.