Kathmandu, May 25: Police arrested Yunus Ansari with counterfeit notes amounting over Rs 76 million Indian currencies from the Tribhuvan International Airport on Friday (May 24). Three Pakistani nationals were also nabbed in this connection.
Yunus Ansari of Talchhikhel in Lalitpur Metropolitan city-13 had already served jail terms in the past after being convicted by the court for his involvement in the smuggling of narcotic drugs and possession of counterfeit Indian currencies. Acting on a tip-off, police arrested him from the only international airport of the country while he was there to receive a suitcase stashed with fake Indian currencies brought in by three Pakistani nationals to Nepal via Qatar Airways.
Police also held Ansari’s driver and his brother-in-law, Suyal Khan of Ramauli Bairiya municipality-1, Rautahat, and Sudan Ranabhat of Balkot, Bhaktapur, respectively from the parking area of the TIA. They had been there to assist Ansari in smuggling the counterfeit currencies. The arrested Pakistani nationals were Mohammad Akhtar, 49, Nasir Uddin, 67, and Nadia Anwar, 39. According to Metropolitan Police Office, Kathmandu, Chief Sailesh Thapa Chettri, Ansari was found involved in smuggling of fake Indian currencies in the past too.
The arrested ones have, however, claimed that they were implicated. Police had kept Ansari and his accomplice under surveillance after their activities seemed dubious. “It could be an organized crime. More facts would be brought to fore after a thorough investigation,” said Thapa. According to him, Friday’s arrest was a result of close scrutiny over Yunus and his partners in crime for a long time. RSS
