BETTIAH, Feb. 2 -- A joint team of East Champaran police, Sastra Seema Baal (SSB) and Special Task Force (STF) arrested ten people involved in fake currency racket, three of them Nepalis, and seized a large cache of counterfeit Nepali and Indian currency notes during coordinated raids in East Champaran and Sitamarhi districts of Bihar, officials said on Sunday. The security personnel also seized chemicals and other materials used for printing counterfeit money during the raids. Confirming the action, Raxaul's sub divisional police officer (SDPO) Manish Anand told a news conference on Sunday that the operation was carried out following specific intelligence inputs about the movement of fake currency peddler into Indian territory from Nepal and a consequently a trap was laid near Bodhi Mai Mandir under Haraiya police station. "Two people were arrested with fake Indian currency with a face value worth Rs.18,500. Based on their inputs, simultaneous raids were conducted at multiple locations in Sitamarhi which led to the arrest of eight other smugglers," the SDPO said. Among these include three Nepalis, he added. Police said that the seizure include fake Nepali currency having face value worth Rs.25 lakh, Rs.18,500 counterfeit Indian currency, Rs.1.4 lakh Nepali and Rs.18,500 Indian currency, besides chemicals, plain papers, three motorcycles and four wheelers. Preliminary investigation suggests the racket had cross-border links and the fake notes were being circulated in border markets to evade detection, police said. "All the arrested accused are being interrogated to identify the kingpins of the racket and sources of the supply chain," the SDPO added. Frequent seizures of counterfeit currency have been reported from various parts of Bihar in 2024 and late 2025. Police officials say many of these cases are linked to international smuggling networks operating along the Indo-Nepal border. On January 5 last month, a joint team of Nepal police and East Champaran police seized a huge cache of counterfeit Nepali currency along with printing machines during coordinated raids at Pataura village in East Champaran. On November 30, 2025, the (NIA) raided three villages called Koyala Belwa,...