Malda: In a historic verdict, the Malda District Court has delivered Malda’s first conviction in a sedition-related case. The case involved two individuals arrested in 2021 for attempting to traffic counterfeit currency. The accused were sentenced to seven years of imprisonment and fined Rs 25,000 each for conspiracy and possession of fake currency, five years for circulating the counterfeit notes and an additional five years along with Rs 25,000 fines for involvement in unlawful activities.
On December 11, 2021, the Special Task Force of the West Bengal Police, in collaboration with the English Bazar Police, arrested Mehboob Ansari and Nazir Hossain from the Rathbari area in Malda town. They were caught with counterfeit currency worth Rs 1.48 lakh, all in Rs 500 denominations.
Following their arrest, a case was registered at English Bazar Police Station. The seized notes were sent to Shalbani for examination, where forensic analysis revealed the counterfeit notes were of high quality, making them difficult to detect. This led to the invocation of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). A chargesheet was filed on June 3, 2022 U/S 489(B)/489(C), 120(B) of IPC, with adding section 15(i)(a), (iiia) /16 of UAPA Act,1967 and based on a key witness testimony, the court found both accused guilty. Judge Subhayu Bandopadhyay pronounced the sentence on April 24, 2025.
Public prosecutor Sudipta Gangopadhyay confirmed the details and stated: “The threads of the counterfeit currency notes were almost original which enhances the gravity of the case. This is the first conviction under UAPA in Malda as well as North Bengal.”