'Make in India' awardee arrested printing fake Rs 2,000 notes

A young engineer who won the Make in India award was arrested on Thursday for printing fake Rs 2,000 notes in Punjab's town of Mohali.

According to reports, the Punjab Police in Mohali and adjoining Chandigarh recovered fake currency worth Rs 42 lakh in Rs 2,000 notes and arrested Abhinav Verma, his cousin Vishakha Verma, and Ludhiana-based property dealer Suman Nagpal.

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All the three accused were allegedly duping people by exchanging the scrapped Rs 500 and 1,000 notes for fake Rs 2,000 notes printed by them.

They were also charging 30 per cent commission for the exchange.

"The fake currency was recovered on Wednesday from a brand new luxury Audi SUV which the trio were using," Mohali Superintendent of Police (City) Parminder Singh reportedly said.

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"The currency given by the gang (to their customers) even after charging commission was fake," Singh was qouted as saying.

Earlier in 2015, Abhinav claimed to have created 'Live Braille', a wearable technology innovation that helped blind people to walk around without the aid of a walking stick.

His innovation was hailed as a success, and the device was commercially launched this year as an innovation under the 'Make in India' programme.