194 counterfeit currency notes seized in Navi Mumbai; two booked

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The police in Navi Mumbai have registered a first information report (FIR) against two people, one of them unidentified so far, for allegedly possessing around 200 counterfeit currency notes, all in the denomination of Rs 500, an officer said on Wednesday.

The officer added that on August 9, an unidentified man dumped 194 counterfeit notes of Rs 500 denomination each, having a total face value of Rs 97,000, near a bridge in Uran town, news agency PTI reported.

The notes were later collected from the spot by a second person, identified as Hemant Mhatre, 48, who is a resident of the Koproli area in Uran. The notes were recovered from him by the police on August 12, the official informed.

After confirmation that the seized notes were in fact counterfeit, the police on Tuesday registered an FIR against the duo under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) sections 178 (counterfeiting coin, government stamps, currency notes), 179 (using as genuine counterfeit bank notes) and 180 (possession of forged or counterfeit currency notes) at Uran police station, the official said.