News Desk
GUJRAT, INDIA: In a bizarre and unexpected incident, police in Gujarat have seized counterfeit Indian currency notes featuring Bollywood actor Anupam Kher’s image instead of Mahatma Gandhi. The fake notes, valued at approximately $193,000, were confiscated during a raid by Ahmedabad police on September 22, 2024, in Surat. This unusual turn of events has sparked widespread shock and amusement on social media, with netizens reacting to the absurdity of the scam.
The counterfeit operation came to light when authorities discovered a fake currency manufacturing unit in Surat, leading to the arrest of four individuals connected to the scam. The counterfeit notes, prominently displaying Kher’s face instead of Gandhi’s, were part of a larger scheme targeting local gold dealer Mehul Thakkar, who was tricked into exchanging 2,100 grams of gold for the bogus notes.
Thakkar, a bullion broker, reported to the Navrangpura police that two individuals had approached him to purchase gold. On September 24, one of his employees was sent to finalize the deal at a location on CG Road. The conmen handed over 26 bundles of cash sealed with fake State Bank of India tape. While counting the money, the employee was informed that an additional $36,000 was needed to complete the transaction. Upon examining the bundles, the employee discovered that the notes were counterfeit, but by the time he could react, the suspects had already fled the scene.
