Jaipur, Oct 18 : In a major operation, the Special Operations Group (SOG) has seized counterfeit currency valued at Rs 43 lakh from the Narayan Vihar area in Jaipur.

Acting on intelligence developed over 15 days, the SOG raided a flat on Friday evening and arrested two suspects in possession of fake Rs 500 notes, ADG, SOG, VK Singh said.

ADG SOG VK Singh stated that such crimes typically spike during festivals, prompting heightened surveillance.

Upon receiving specific inputs, the SOG team, in coordination with Narayan Vihar Police, conducted the raid and recovered the counterfeit currency.

The case is now under investigation by the South District Police.

Among the recovered items were counterfeit notes valued at Rs 26 lakh and Rs 17 lakh in uncut printed sheets, indicating that some of the fake notes were still in the process of being prepared.

Authorities suspect these sheets were brought in from another state and were meant for distribution across Rajasthan and possibly beyond.

What alarmed officials was the level of sophistication in the fake currency. For the first time, watermarks and security features such as embossing - commonly found in genuine Rs 500 notes - were detected in the counterfeit ones. This suggests that the operation was highly organised, possibly involving advanced printing techniques.

During interrogation, the arrested suspects revealed that the counterfeit notes were being sold at a ratio of 4:1 - Rs 4 lakh in fake currency for just Rs 1 lakh in genuine money.

A key link in the operation is reportedly a criminal based in Bikaner, who was distributing the fake currency.

Based on this information, police teams have launched raids at multiple locations to apprehend other members of the racket.

Authorities continue to investigate the network's reach and the origin of the fake currency.

The operation marks a significant breakthrough in curbing the circulation of counterfeit money during the festive season.

/IANS