NIA Chargesheets One More FICN Trafficker in 2019 Surat Case

Abdul Gaffar alias Gaffarbhai, a resident of Katihar in Bihar, had been on the run since 2019 and was nabbed on February 22, 2024 from Ahmedabad, Gujarat.

Besides working as an agent for various FICN smugglers in the instant case, he is convicted in two previous cases of FICN trafficking. He was sentenced to three years rigorous imprisonment (RI) and penalty by the Economic Offences Court, Muzaffarpur in a 2015 DRI case.

On his release, he got involved in the present NIA case RC-17/2019/NIA/DLI, and also in another case under IPC and UA(P) Act.

While in the latter case, he has since been convicted by a Kolkata court, NIA today filed its first supplementary chargesheet against him in the FICN case, relating to a criminal conspiracy by several accused persons for circulation and distribution of fake currency in Gujarat.

Earlier, in June 2019, the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), Surat, had arrested one Vinod Nishad alias Vinod Sahani from the Surat Railway Station with FICN worth Rs. 2 lakh in Rs. 2,000 denominations. The receiver, namely Mahefuz Shaikh, was also arrested and a case under the Custom Act, 1962 was registered.

A total of three accused were arraigned in the case, including the two arrested by DRI and one absconder. Considering the national security ramifications and international linkages, the Ministry of Home Affairs had transferred the case to NIA on July 18, 2019.

Following investigations against the two arrested accused, NIA filed its first chargesheet in the Special Court, Ahmedabad, in August 2019. In the chargesheet, accused Abdul Gaffar was named as a wanted accused.

Vinod Nishad and Mohammad Mahefuz Shaikh were subsequently convicted to seven years RI and fine of Rs. 10,000 each in November 2022, but Abdul Gaffar had continued to abscond, till his arrest three months ago.

According to NIA investigations, Abdul Gaffar had purchased Rs. 2 lakh worth of FICN from Hafeez aliasMalda, and sold it to Vinod Nishad in exchange of Rs 88,000 genuine currency. The fake currency then reached Mohammad Mahefuz Shaikh for circulation amongst the general public of Gujarat. Investigations to trace other absconding accused are in progress.