Police arrest five people printing fake Rs 500 notes out of a private bungalow in Maharashtra

A joint team of Nashik Rural Local Crime Branch, city police, Trimbakeshwar police and forensic experts has busted an alleged counterfeit currency manufacturing unit operating from a private bungalow in Talegaon Shivar in Trimbakeshwar taluka, according to a report by TOI. Five members of an alleged interstate gang have been arrested in connection with the operation.

Police raided the premises on August 12, 2026, following an intelligence input and allegedly caught the suspects while they were using specialised chemicals to manufacture counterfeit Rs 500 notes. A senior Nashik Rural police officer told TOI that the operation was aimed at producing fake currency for illegal financial gain and fraud.

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Five accused arrested

A local court on Thursday remanded all five accused to three days of police custody.

The arrested individuals have been identified as Amareshwar Aitha, 37, from Hyderabad; Dasari Satyai, 36, from Sircilla district in Telangana; Gokul Date, 56, from Gangapur Road in Nashik; Hiraman Date, 56, from Talegaon Shivar; and Machhindra Gandhat, 56, from Satpur.

Currency and equipment seized

Police seized material valued at Rs 12.2 lakh from the premises. The seizure included genuine currency worth Rs 9.75 lakh, comprising 1,950 notes of Rs 500 denomination, along with bundles of paper cut to note size.

Investigators also recovered chemicals, printing equipment, mobile phones and a four-wheeler during the raid.

According to police, the alleged interstate group included key suspects from Telangana who were working with local residents in Nashik. The group allegedly used a bungalow owned by Hiraman Date in Talegaon Shivar to carry out the operation.

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Police probe manufacturing and distribution network

Police said the suspects were allegedly in the process of completing the counterfeit Rs 500 notes when the raid took place. The quantity of counterfeit currency produced is still being assessed.

Investigators are also examining the alleged method used to manufacture the notes and how the counterfeit currency was intended to be circulated in the market.

A case has been registered at Trimbakeshwar police station under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. Police are now investigating the alleged gang's distribution network and other aspects of the operation.