The Delhi Police Crime Branch has arrested four people, including a 58-year-old resident of Zirakpur, Punjab, for allegedly manufacturing counterfeit ₹20 coins at an illegal factory in Haryana and circulating them in markets across India.
One of the accused, identified as Paras Jain, 45, was arrested near Mundka Industrial Area Metro station in outer Delhi on September 8 while allegedly delivering a consignment of counterfeit coins. Police recovered fake ₹20 coins with a face value of approximately ₹1 lakh from his car.
According to Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime) Harsh Indora, the seizure included a black laptop bag and plastic sacks containing 50 polythene pouches, each holding 100 counterfeit coins. The coins, along with the bag and vehicle, were seized, and samples were sent for examination.
During interrogation, Jain allegedly disclosed that he had procured the counterfeit coins from Upkar Luthra, a 58-year-old resident of Zirakpur, who allegedly supplied coins worth ₹1 lakh for ₹70,000 to facilitate their further sale and circulation.
Alleged counterfeit coin network
Police identified Luthra as the alleged key figure in the counterfeit coin operation. Investigators said he had been running the syndicate for more than two decades, allegedly in association with his brother, Sweekar. Both brothers had reportedly been arrested in previous cases involving counterfeit coins.
According to a Crime Branch officer, Luthra was arrested by the Delhi Police Special Cell in 2017 in Haryana’s Sonipat with approximately 8,500 counterfeit coins in denominations of ₹5 and ₹10. He was allegedly operating the syndicate from Nepal before that arrest.
Police further alleged that, following Jain’s arrest, Luthra was shifting the illegal manufacturing unit from Sonipat to Saharanpur in Uttar Pradesh along with four associates. Luthra and his associates were subsequently arrested by the Saharanpur Police.
Further investigation and arrests
The Crime Branch registered a case under Sections 179, 180, 61 and 3 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), relating to offences involving counterfeit coins, criminal conspiracy and common intention.
Investigators subsequently obtained production warrants for Luthra and four other accused — Anurag Pal, Janardhan Kumar Chaurasia, Kuldeep and Himanshu — and brought them before the Tis Hazari court, which granted their custody to the Crime Branch.
Following interrogation, police said the preliminary investigation established the alleged involvement of Luthra, Pal and Chaurasia, who were formally arrested. The investigation is continuing to establish the full extent of the network and identify others involved in manufacturing and circulating counterfeit coins.
