Khandwa police arrest doctor behind ₹20 lakh counterfeit currency racket:Former Burhanpur district hospital RMO named mastermind; fake notes printed inside Bhopal travel agency

Khandwa police have arrested three accused, including the mastermind, in a major fake currency case linked to a madrasa in village Paithiya. The arrested individuals include Dr. Prateek Navlakhe and his two associates, who were allegedly operating a counterfeit currency unit from a rented flat in Gokuldham Society, Bhopal. Police have seized fake notes, 15 checkbooks, 32 ATM cards, and several electronic devices from their possession. Fake notes worth ₹19.78 lakh earlier found in madrasa The case came to light on November 2, when Jawar police recovered counterfeit notes worth ₹19,78,000 from the room of madrasa Imam Zubair Ansari in Paithiya village. Zubair had been apprehended earlier by Maharashtra’s Malegaon police, prompting Khandwa police to search his room. A bag full of fake notes was recovered. During joint questioning with Maharashtra police, Zubair revealed that he was a partner of Dr. Navlakhe in the counterfeit currency operation. Accused were hiding in Bhopal During the investigation, police learned that Dr. Navlakhe, a resident of Burhanpur, had been supplying fake notes to Zubair. On November 22, police received information that Navlakhe was hiding at a rented house belonging to Gopal alias Rahul in Bhopal. A Jawar police team reached the spot on November 23 and arrested all three accused: Large seizure of fake notes, checkbooks, ATM cards Additional SP Mahendra Tarnekar said fake notes and electronic equipment were seized from the rented house in Gokul Dham Society. From Dr. Navlakhe’s possession, police recovered 13 fake ₹500 notes, seven mobile phones, one laptop, 15 checkbooks, and 12 ATM/debit cards. From Gopal, police seized six fake ₹500 notes, a note-drying machine, two mobile phones, and 20 ATM/debit cards.From Dinesh, police recovered 17 fake ₹500 notes. The accused will be produced before the Khandwa court for remand. Racket planned in jail after fraud cases Police found that Navlakhe had worked as an RMO at Burhanpur District Hospital in 2019–20. Though he studied at Gandhi Medical College, Indore, he was involved in multiple scams while serving in the district hospital, eventually leading to an FIR and his arrest. During his jail term, he met Imam Zubair Ansari, who was also from Burhanpur. The two discussed future plans and later joined hands to form a network to produce and circulate fake currency. ₹5 lakh in fake notes for ₹1 lakh genuine currency According to investigators, Navlakhe, Zubair, and Dinesh would offer recruits a deal: for every ₹1 lakh in genuine currency, they would provide ₹5 lakh in counterfeit notes. For banking and online transactions, they used rented bank accounts, retaining the ATM cards with themselves. Account holders received a 10% commission on total transactions. Accused destroyed evidence after Imam’s arrest When Navlakhe learned that Zubair had been arrested by Malegaon police, he feared being named during questioning. He was in Mumbai at the time and moved to Pune before travelling to Bhopal via Indore. During this period, he changed multiple locations, disposed of the note-printing machine by throwing it into a drain, severed ties with his girlfriend, and shifted remaining equipment to Gopal’s rented flat. He then left for a Char Dham pilgrimage, travelling through Dehradun, Badrinath, and Devprayag, but eventually returned to Bhopal, where police tracked and arrested him. Operations spread across Maharashtra MP During interrogation, the accused revealed that they had been circulating fake currency in multiple cities, including Dhule, Malegaon, Jalgaon, Chandrapur, and Murtizapur in Akola district, as well as Dharni in Amravati district, Nagpur, and Bhopal. Police estimate that the gang had circulated counterfeit notes worth approximately ₹40 lakh so far. The investigation is ongoing, and police are verifying the involvement of additional individuals connected to the racket.