Barkote police in Debagada district have arrested two persons for their involvement in a shop burglary and a fraudulent scheme involving the circulation of fake Rs 500 currency notes.
The arrested individuals have been identified as 35-year-old Anil Kumar Sahoo, alias Ani, and 19-year-old Rabi Das, alias Rocket, both residents of Mardang village.
Police recovered six fake Rs 500 notes, Rs 8,500 in cash, a motorcycle (registration number OD 02 AF 9292), and a mobile phone from the suspects.
According to the police investigation, Anil supplied Rabi with fake Rs 500 toy notes, which Rabi used to purchase goods from various local shopkeepers. The bogus bills bore the text “Children’s Bank of India” instead of “Reserve Bank of India”. However, because the notes closely resembled genuine Rs 500 bills, unsuspecting shopkeepers failed to notice the difference during routine transactions.
The racket came to light following an incident last Thursday when Rabi used a fake Rs 500 note to buy items from a shop owned by Debananda Sahoo in Mardang village. Later that night, the duo broke into the same shop and stole approximately Rs 10,500 in cash.
Suspicious of the break-in, local villagers initiated an inquiry and questioned Rabi, who eventually confessed to his involvement. The villagers detained both Anil and Rabi and immediately alerted the Barkote police.
A police team arrived at Mardang village, took both suspects into custody, and seized the counterfeit notes and stolen cash during preliminary interrogation. Police confirmed that the duo deliberately used the toy notes with criminal intent to defraud local shopkeepers.
Both accused have been formally arrested and produced in court under sections 3(5), 305(a), and 318(3) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
