During the raid, police seized a digital printer, bundles of paper cut to the size required for printing Rs 500 notes, a currency-counting machine and other materials suspected to have been used in the counterfeit currency operation.
The seized items are believed to be linked to the production of fake notes with a face value of around Rs 2.5 crore, officials said. (Representative image)
Kollam,Oct 24, 2026 13:03 IST
A probe into a man's disappearance led police to an counterfeit currency printing unit at his house in Keralam's Kollam, where they seized printing equipment and other materials suspected to be linked to fake notes worth around Rs 2.5 crore, officials said on Saturday.
The police, along with the District Anti-Narcotic Special Action Force (DANSAF) team of Kollam City, raided the house of Sibion, a native of Kallelivayal in Vadi, on Friday night and took him into custody.
The investigation began on October 16 after Sibion's wife, Tincy, lodged a missing-person complaint at Pallithottam police station. During the probe, police learnt that Sibion had been abducted from Asramam and that his gold ornaments had been taken away, officials said.
Investigators found that a person named Adarsh had allegedly called Sibion to a location. Police registered a kidnapping case, but Sibion later returned on his own and informed them about the incident.
Further questioning and an examination of his financial dealings revealed suspected hawala transactions and other unauthorised activities, leading police to search his house.
During the raid, police seized a digital printer, bundles of paper cut to the size required for printing Rs 500 notes, a currency-counting machine and other materials suspected to have been used in the counterfeit currency operation.
The seized items are believed to be linked to the production of fake notes with a face value of around Rs 2.5 crore, officials said.
Police also recovered 43 sovereigns of gold ornaments from the premises.
Preliminary questioning indicated that Ravi, a native of Attingal, had supplied Sibion with the materials used in the suspected operation in exchange for Rs 30 lakh, an officer said.
Police suspect that more people were involved in the operation and are trying to trace Ravi. A detailed investigation is underway to establish the extent of the counterfeit currency network and identify others involved.
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