Police busted a fake currency-making unit in Dhaka and detained six people who said to have been circulating the counterfeit money in market for six years.

The detainees were, Md Shafikul Islam aka Shamim, Md Shohagh Adhikary, Md Shumon Ahmed, Md Baizid Uddin, Md Siddiqur Rahman, and Mst Jesmin Akhter.

The group "was arrested several times earlier over same charges". This time, Tk 50 lakh fake notes and various machineries used for making the fake money were seized from them.

Detective police cracked down on a rented house on Adorsho Road in Madhya Monipur of Mirpur around 8:45pm last night and made the bust, said Sheikh Nazmul Alam, deputy commissioner (west) of DB police.

THEY MAKE DOLLARS, EUROS, RUPEES AS WELL

The detainees were paraded before the media before a press briefing at Dhaka Metropolitan Police's media centre in Dhaka. The criminals confessed their crime before the media.

The DB official said the detainees confessed that they were circulating fake notes in retail and wholesale markets in and outside Dhaka for the past six or seven years. "I sold fake money worth Tk 1 lakh at cost of Tk 10,000 or Tk 15,000."

Shamim used to rent flats in different areas of Dhaka city and set up manufacturing units of fake bank notes, including Indian rupees, dollars, and euros. "He circulated fake notes the syndicate," Nazmul Alam said.

They worked in three groups, in production and supply of the fake notes. They targeted various occasions including Eid and Puja to trade the counterfeit money.

Generally, circulation of forged notes takes place round the year. But it reaches the peak during the two Eids when people spend a lot of money on shopping, the official said.

"Fake money makers are working to produce Tk 4/5 crore fake notes in Ramadan. Shamim was earlier arrested several times on the same charge."

Law enforcement agencies said, so far they arrested 47 fake note makers this year.