Bengaluru man prints fake notes during week-long stay in hotel, lands in police net | Bengaluru News

Bengaluru: When 23-year-old Krish Mali, son of a textile businessman, walked out of his house after a fight with his parents, he was too angry to consider how long he could survive on his own. When it eventually hit him that his needs far outstripped the capacity of his wallet, he decided to get creative and make money — literally.Mali, a resident of Thoppa Mudaliyar Street in Shivajinagar, has now landed in police net for printing counterfeit notes while renting a hotel room in Tasker Town from June 1 to 7.According to the complaint filed by Hotel High Street manager Mohammed Sarifuddin with Commercial Street police, Mali had booked a room for two days initially. He later extended the booking twice, first online and then offline for the last two days. While checking out around 1pm on June 7, he paid Rs 3,000 in cash, producing six notes of Rs 500 face value at the reception.However, in the early hours of the same day, some pourakarmikas working with BBMP had found a few counterfeit notes when they picked up garbage from the hotel. They informed the hotel management, which confirmed the notes were fake but had no idea who had disposed of them. After Mali checked out, the hotel staff grew suspicious and examined the notes he had given — and voila, they proved to be counterfeit.Sarifuddin and a few other hotel staff went to the room Mali had occupied and found a few notes in the dustbin. Subsequently, Sarifuddin lodged a police complaint, handing over five fake notes as evidence. Paper sheets used to print the counterfeit notes were also found in the room. A senior cop said Mali was nabbed from the address on his Aadhaar card, which he had furnished when checking into the hotel. During interrogation, he is said to have confessed that he walked out of his house after a fight over a trivial matter. He then rented the hotel room, smuggled in a printer and scanner inside a bag, and made copies of a real Rs 500 note. While he managed to scan, print and cut some notes to the actual size, a few came out poorly and were tossed in the bin.The youth has been arrested and remanded in judicial custody. A case has been registered under BNS Sections 179 (using as genuine, forged or counterfeit coin, govt stamp, currency notes or banknotes), 180 (possession of forged or counterfeit coin, govt stamp, currency notes or banknotes), 182 (making or using documents resembling currency notes or banknotes), and 318 (cheating). Police are probing to see if Mali had paid in counterfeit notes at any other place.