Police have arrested a 33-year-old man in possession of over 100 counterfeit currency notes of the Rs. 5,000 denomination in the Ratnapura area.
The Police Media Division said that the arrest was made following a tip-off from a local jewellery shop manager who became suspicious of the currency notes when the suspect attempted to purchase gold jewellery.
The suspect had entered the shop and produced a bundle of Rs. 5,000 notes on Friday (17), claiming that he wished to purchase a gold chain. However, the manager, noticing discrepancies in the currency notes, had informed the police in this regard.
Upon inspection, police officers have found 102 counterfeit Rs. 5,000 notes and a pen drive in the suspect’s possession.
Preliminary investigations have revealed that the suspect had printed the counterfeit notes using a printer at his home.
Ratnapura Police have taken the suspect and the forged currency notes into custody and are conducting further investigations into the incident.
