New Delhi: An unknown Pakistani man referred to as 'Uncle' as well as a WhatsApp number from Malaysia '+60146950130' used to direct the accused during the smuggling of 149 Counterfeit Indian Currency Notes of denomination of Rs 2,000 are under National Investigation Agency (NIA) radar in a fresh case taken over by the agency this month.

The Central agency took over the Fake Indian Currency Notes (FICN) case almost 14 months after the Crime Branch unit of Mumbai Police arrested a person namely Riyaz Abdul Rahiman Shikilkar and seized a total of 149 Counterfeit Indian Currency Notes of the denomination of Rs 2,000 from his possession.

As the case relates to an attempt to damage the monetary stability of India by way of smuggling and circulation of High-Quality Counterfeit Indian Currency Notes, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) Counter Terrorism and Counter Radicalization (CTCR) division handed over the case to the NIA on February 6, 2023.

The name of 'Uncle' came to light during the interrogation of Shikilkar, who was caught by the Mumbai Crime Branch on November 17, 2021, in Thane.

During the interrogation, Shikilkar revealed that the notes recovered from his possession were given to him by an unknown person referred to as 'uncle', who is a resident of Pakistan, to deliver them to someone in exchange for original Indian currency notes of Rs 1,80,000 after he got a call from WhatsApp number '+60146950130', states the NIA's First Information Report (FIR) registered earlier this month by its Mumbai wing.

"The offence relates to an attempt to damage the monetary stability of India by way of smuggling and circulation of High-Quality Counterfeit Indian Currency Notes," said the NIA FIR.

Besides, the NIA has also started the hunt for another man named Nasir Usmangani Chaudhari.

Following MHA's order based on information from the Government of Maharashtra regarding the registration of FIR on November 18, 2021, at Naupada Police Station, the NIA took over the case and re-registered fresh FIR under charges of 489 A, 489 B and 489 C and section 34 of Indian Penal Code, and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967, relating to seizure of 149 Counterfeit Indian Currency Notes of denomination of Rs 2,000 from one person namely, Riyaz Abdul Rahiman Shikilkar, a resident of 47/1, Abdulla Gondiwala Chawi, Guljargali, Naupada Bandra (East), Mumbai 51.

With regard to the gravity of the offence, the grave security ramifications and its national and international linkages, the MHA had decided to hand over the enquiry of the case by the NIA in accordance with the National Investigation Agency Act, 2008.

In its FIR, the NIA named three persons that included Shikilkar; Chaudhari, a resident of Jamatiya colony in Bandra West, Mumbai 50; and an unknown man named 'Uncle', a resident of Pakistan.