Vizag: NIA court convicts 7 in fake currency case; awards jail terms up to 10 years
The court sentenced Saddam Hossain of Barpeta district in Assam to 10 years of simple imprisonment and a fine of ₹5,000 under Section 16 of the UA(P) Act.
By Newsmeter Network
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Visakhapatnam: A special National Investigation Agency (NIA) court in Visakhapatnam has convicted seven accused in a 2015 Fake Indian Currency Notes (FICN) case.
The court has sentenced them to prison terms ranging from seven to ten years, along with fines under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.
Fake currency network aimed at destabilising economy
According to the NIA, the case involved a criminal conspiracy to smuggle high-quality fake Indian currency through the Indo-Bangladesh border and circulate it across different parts of the country. Investigators said the racket was aimed at undermining India’s financial security.
The agency had taken over the case in December 2015 and registered it as RC-02/2015/NIA/HYD.
Key accused gets 10 years' jail
The court sentenced Saddam Hossain of Barpeta district in Assam to 10 years of simple imprisonment and a fine of ₹5,000 under Section 16 of the UA(P) Act.
He was originally arrested by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), Visakhapatnam, in September 2015 after officials seized fake currency notes worth ₹5,01,500 from him at Visakhapatnam Railway Station while he was travelling by train.
Another accused from Barpeta, Amirul Hoque, was also sentenced to 10 years of simple imprisonment and a fine of ₹5,000 under Section 18 of the UA(P) Act.
Sentences for other accused
The court also handed down prison terms to the remaining accused:
Rostum (Malda, West Bengal): 7 years SI and ₹2,000 fine under Section 20 of UA(P) Act.
Mohammad Hakim Sheikh (Malda, West Bengal): 8 years SI and ₹5,000 fine under Section 18 of UA(P) Act.
Saddam Hussein (Bengaluru, Karnataka): 7 years SI and ₹2,000 fine under Section 20.
Sayed Imran (Mandya, Karnataka): 7 years SI and ₹2,000 fine.
Mohammed Akbar Ali (Kamrup, Assam): 7 years SI and ₹2,000 fine.
The court also ordered additional imprisonment if the fines are not paid.
Chargesheets filed in multiple phases
NIA officials said the agency filed the first chargesheet against Saddam Hossain in July 2016, while supplementary chargesheets against the remaining six accused were filed between 2018 and 2019.
It may be noted that Sayed Imran is already a convict in another fake currency case investigated by the NIA in Visakhapatnam.
