MUMBAI: A special National Investigation Agency (NIA) court on Monday framed charges against three men accused of circulating high-quality fake ₹2,000 notes on the instructions of a Pakistan-based associate of fugitive gangster Dawood Ibrahim Kaskar.
The accused, identified as Riyaz Abdu Rehman Shikilkar, Nasir Usmangani Chaudhary and Mohammad Fayaaz Shikilkar, pleaded not guilty to charges of counterfeiting, circulation of fake currency and terror-related offences under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). The charges were framed by special judge Chakor S. Baviskar.
The case dates back to November 2021, when the Thane police seized 149 counterfeit ₹2,000 notes from Riyaz Shikilkar and arrested him. The police claimed that during interrogation, he revealed that the fake currency was circulated on instructions received via WhatsApp from a handler referred to as ‘uncle’, operating from Pakistan.
After the probe was taken over by the NIA in 2023, the agency identified the handler, ‘uncle’, as Javed Patel alias Javed Chikna, allegedly a close associate of Dawood Ibrahim Kaskar. The NIA said the superior quality of the seized notes and the organised manner of circulation indicated a well-coordinated network rather than isolated acts of forgery.
Subsequently, the agency re-registered the case and invoked UAPA provisions, alleging that the counterfeit currency racket was intended to generate funds for unlawful and terror-related activities. The NIA also claimed that searches conducted at multiple locations led to the recovery of incriminating material and weapons, reinforcing the alleged terror-financing angle.
A supplementary charge sheet naming Mohammad Fayaaz Shikilkar as an additional accused was filed in September 2023. Last week, the special court rejected one of the accused in the case, Nasir Chaudhary’s discharge plea, holding that the material on record disclosed prima facie grounds to proceed against him.
The trial is scheduled to begin on January 23 in what the NIA has termed a terror-financing case involving the circulation of high-quality fake Indian currency allegedly routed through Pakistan-based handlers and linked to the D-gang.