Accused assumed that with all the confusion surrounding the withdrawal of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes and the introduction of the new Rs 2,000 note, he could easily fool others with fake money
Younus Shaikh from Virar police station holds up the fake note
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A 24-year-old who tried to buy beer with a fake Rs 2,000 note now finds himself behind bars, and not the kind that serve alcohol. The accused, Tushar Chitale, had assumed that with all the confusion surrounding the withdrawal of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes and the introduction of the new Rs 2,000 note, he could easily fool others with fake money.
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Cops lead the accused Tushar Chitale to the lock-up. Pics/Hanif Patel
‘It felt different’
On Sunday night, Chitale took a colour photocopy of a Rs 2,000 note and tried to pass it off as the real thing when he went to purchase beer at Raj wine shop in Virar. However, the store manager suspected something was off when he held the note in his hands, and alerted the owner Sudhir Shetty about it. The owner shared his suspicion and called the police, who confirmed that the note was indeed fake. “Our employees were used to checking the old notes for fakes anyway, and in the last few days, we have become familiar with the new note as well. Just by touching and taking a closer look, we can identify even bogus Rs 2,000 notes. The paper quality of the original and the note that the accused gave us were completely different,” said the owner, Shetty.
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Cop speak
Senior Inspector Younus Shaikh from Virar police station said, “We have registered a case under the relevant sections of the IPC, and arrested the accused. During inquiry, the fake was revealed to be a colour photocopy of the original Rs 2,000 note. The accused has confessed to his crime.”