Meerut, June 25 -- : In a major breakthrough, police in Shahjahanpur exposed a counterfeit currency racket and arrested three members of the gang, including the alleged mastermind, a trained pathologist named Nafees Ahmed. The accused were caught with an elaborate setup for printing fake currency and a stock of counterfeit notes worth Rs.4.61 lakh. The arrest was made on Monday when Nafees was entering Shahjahanpur with the entire fake currency printing setup in a car, reportedly with plans to settle in the city and establish a local distribution network. Acting on intelligence, the police laid a trap and arrested Nafees along with his accomplices, Pankaj Gangwar and Nikhil Mishra. Superintendent of police Rajesh Dwivedi identified the accused as Nafees Ahmed alias doctor, a resident of Kamalpur Fatehabad in Moradabad's Kundarki police station area; Pankaj Gangwar from the Teen Pani Dam locality in Rudrapur, Udham Singh Nagar district of Uttarakhand; and Nikhil Mishra, who resides in Anandpuram Colony of Shahjahanpur. Police recovered 840 fake Rs.500 notes, 370 fake Rs.100 notes, 64 fake Rs.50 notes, and 40 fake Rs.20 notes from the trio's possession. In addition, two printers, a lamination machine, paper used for note cutting, and other printing materials were seized. Nafees and Pankaj admitted they lost their jobs during the COVID-19 lockdown and were left financially devastated. Struggling to survive, they entered the world of crime and began producing fake currency using basic printing equipment. The accused said they circulated these notes in nearby districts, often targeting small traders and unsuspecting vendors. They claimed this was the first time they were caught. A shocking revelation was that the gang even printed fake notes inside the car while on the move. Nafees disclosed that the car they used for distribution was bought on loan by Pankaj specifically for this illegal venture. The loan is reportedly still unpaid. The accused had plans to settle in Shahjahanpur permanently and had recruited local resident Nikhil Mishra as their distributor. However, the police apprehended them before the plan could take root. Police said the gang sold counterfeit currency to middlemen at a 20% commission. Nafees told police that he learned the technique of making fake currency from a man named Zakir, a resident of Ramana village in Shahabad, Rampur. Zakir died during the COVID pandemic, after which Nafees continued the operation with his new associates. According to police, Nafees ihas six criminal cases registered against him. He was booked under the Gangster Act by Amroha police in 2022. During questioning, he confessed to circulating Rs.10 lakh to Rs.15 lakh worth of fake currency in Noida and Amroha districts. In Shahjahanpur, he had just begun working with Nikhil Mishra to expand their network before being caught....