Fake In India': Techie praised by Modi arrested for printing fake Rs 2K notes

New Delhi, Dec 3: A budding engineer, whose “innovation” was appreciated by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi at aMake In India' event last year, has now been arrested for printing fake notes of newly introduced currency of Rs 2,000.

The 21-year-old B.Tech graduate Abhinav Verma, who also belongs to an Indian Army family, was arrested by Punjab police wit Rs 42 lakh fake currency in the denomination of Rs 2,000 notes in Mohali, Punjab on Thursday.

He was arrested over a tip-off provided to Punjab police, along with two of his accomplices – his cousin Vishakha Verma and Ludhiana-based property dealer Suman Nagpal. According to sources, the trio were duping people by exchanging fake currency (of Rs 2,000) with old Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes on a 30 per cent commission.

Parminder Singh, SP Mohali said that the fake currency was recovered on Wednesday from a brand new luxury Audi SUV which was used by Abhinav. The vehicle also had a red beacon, which is allowed only for VVIPs only.

In last few days Punjab police officials across India have been conducting raids to arrest two members of the gang who slipped away. The cops said that the currency given by the gang to their customers even after charging customers was fake.

The cops were stunned when they found that Abhinav Verma is the same person whose work was appreciated by Narendra Modi at Make India event last year.

According to reports, Abhinav is an engineering graduate who is into manufacturing sensors which are supposed to be installed in the sticks for visually handicapped. Abhinav's office is in Chandigarh and it was also used to print fake currency of Rs 2,000 denomination at his office only.

While Abhinav and his cousin Vishakha Verma, an MBA student printed the fake currency, the property dealer was responsible played the role of dispensing it to people who were looking to convert their unaccounted wealth to the new currency. The cops found notes with same serial number.

Last year, Abhinav got a mention from PM Modi in December at the Indian Science Congress in Bengaluru. At the age of 18, he created “Live Braille”, a device to help the vision-impaired to walk without a walking stick.

It gained popularity and was touted as an innovation under the “Make In India' programme. Live Braille has reportedly won awards at major engineering institutes across the country and at Illinois State University. It also won the TiEGER Award by TiE Silicon Valley USA.