The accused, who has been identified as Upkar Luthra, alias Abhay Pratap, had been on the run for a long time. When arrested, counterfeited coins worth Rs 8,500 in the denomination of Rs 5 were recovered from his possession.
The Delhi police's special cell arrested the man who was the kingpin of a coin minting gang. Police said that the accused was also wanted for murdering his business partner and carried a reward of Rs 1 lakh on his arrest.
The accused, who has been identified as Upkar Luthra, alias Abhay Pratap, had been on the run for a long time. When arrested, counterfeited coins worth Rs 8,500 in the denomination of Rs 5 were recovered from his possession.
Luthra's brother Sweekar Luthra, who was assisting him in coin minting has already been arrested, police said.
Police officials said that the modus operandi was ingenious. Sitting in Nepal, Luthra got metallic sheets delivered to his aides sitting in godowns located in Tilak Nagar and Mayapuri in Delhi. The godowns were then minted in coins worth Rs 5 and 10 denominations.
These coins were then circulated through toll tax centres and through small scale shopkeepers and vendors in Delhi, Haryana and Rajasthan.
"In December, while working on a tip off, Sweekar Luthra was arrested from the Mohan Garden area and counterfeit coins worth Rs 17,390 in denomination of Rs 5 and Rs 10 were recovered from him. However, his brother Upkar Luthra, who was heading the module, was still at large. Information was received that he had absconded to Nepal and was organising the gang from there," said Sanjeev Kumar Yadav, DCP (Special Cell).
On Tuesday, following a tip off that Luthra was hiding in some hotel in Kondli, Haryana, a raid was conducted by a team, led by ACP Akhileshwar Swaroop and Luthra was arrested.
"Interrogation disclosed that in 1990 he (Luthra) owned a jewellery shop but suffered a major loss when a theft occurred at his shop. Facing a financial crisis, Luthra said he started a business of exporting clothes but couldn't do well.
Modus operandi
Sitting in Nepal, Upkar Luthra got metallic sheets delivered to his aides sitting in godowns located in Delhi
The godowns were then minted in coins worth Rs 5 and 10 denominations
These coins were then circulated through toll tax centres and through small scale shopkeepers and vendors
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