The National Investigation Agency has arrested two men linked to a counterfeit currency racket (AI-generated image used for representational purposes)
LUCKNOW: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has arrested two alleged key conspirators in a counterfeit currency racket involving fake Indian currency notes with a face value of Rs 17.29 crore recovered from the Punjab National Bank (PNB) currency chest in Saharanpur, Uttar Pradesh. The agency arrested Ajay Kumar, son of Ramesh Chand, from Ambala in Haryana on October 16, and Harish Rounta, son of Devi Chand Rounta, from Manali in Himachal Pradesh on October 22. The case came to light on August 29, 2026, when the Sadar Bazar police station in Saharanpur received credible information about the recovery of counterfeit Indian currency notes with a face value of Rs 17.29 crore from the PNB currency chest. 0431/2026 on August 29 at the Sadar Bazar police station under Section 178 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023, against three accused persons.
The agency said the two arrested men were close associates of Adesh Choudhary and other accused persons arrested earlier in connection with the alleged conspiracy to introduce counterfeit currency into the banking system. The case was initially registered as FIR No.
The NIA subsequently re-registered the case on September 3, 2026, as RC-02/2026/NIA/LKW and took over the investigation to probe the wider conspiracy behind the circulation and placement of the counterfeit currency.