Kingpin of minting of counterfeit coins arrested
- Counterfeit coins of Rs. 5/- worth Rs 8,500/- recovered
- Reward of Rs. 1,00,000/- was declared for his apprehension
A notorious criminal namely Upkar Luthra @ Abhay Pratap, Kingpin of the ‘GANG’ involved in‘Minting of Counterfeit Coins’, and has been on the run since long has been arrested by a team led by Insp. Vinay Kumar, Insp. Vijay Kumar, Insp. Pankaj Singh under the supervision of Sh Akhileshwar Sawroop, ACP of South-Western Range of Special Cell. He is wanted in several criminal cases, including a ‘Gruesome Murder’ of his business partner namely Ramesh. He has been monitoring this illegal trade of counterfeiting coins from NEPAL. His brother Sweekar Luthra has already been arrested in the same case. A ‘Reward’ of Rs. 100,000/- had been declared for his head by Delhi Police Counterfeited coins worth Rs. 8,500/- in the denomination of Rs 5/-have been recovered from his possession.
BRIEF OF THE CASE:
In the month of October’ 2016, a racket of manufacturing and circulating of counterfeited coins was busted by the South-Western Range of Special Cell and two racketeers namely Gulshan and Sachin were arrested from the area of Shiv Vihar, Nilothi Extension, Delhi. The entire module used in counterfeiting coins was seized and counterfeit coins worth Rs 5,85,590/- in the denomination of Rs 5 & Rs 10 were recovered. The investigation revealed that the racket was being run by the two brothers namely Sweekar Luthra and his elder brother Upkar Luthra @ Abhay Pratap.
On 26/12/2016, working on the basis of technical as well as manual surveillance and specific inputs, Sweekar Luthra was arrested from Mohan Garden and Counterfeited Coins worth Rs 17,390/- in the denomination of Rs 5 & Rs 10 were recovered from his possession. However, his brother Upkar Luthra, who is the real ‘KINGPIN’ of the gang was still at large. Later, he went to Nepal and remained engaged in his illegal activities of counterfeiting coins.
On 04/07/2017, a tip-off was received that Upkar Luthra @ Abhay Pratap is hiding in some hotel in Kondli, Haryana and has again started illicit trade of counterfeiting coins and is circulating the same in Delhi and other states as well.
TEAM& OPERATION:
A team headed by Insp. Vinay Kumar, Insp. Vijay Kumar, Insp. Pankaj Singh and consisting of ASI Devi Dayal, ASI Shiv Mangal. HC Shiv Kumar, HC Joginder, Ct. Ajay, Ct. Ashwani Tyagi under the supervision of Sh. Akhileshwar Sawroop Yadav, ACP/SWR raided the specific hotel in Kondli and nabbed this ‘KINGPIN’ namely Upkar Luthra @ Abhay Pratap, aged 50 years, s/o Late Shri Raghubir Singh r/o D-10, Dwarka Enclave, Rudrapur, Uttrakhand of the gang. Counterfeit coins in denomination of Rs. 5/- worth Rs. 8500/- were recovered from his possession.
INTERROGATION
On sustained interrogation, accused Upkar Luthrpa confessed that he is Kingpin of the gang, involved in counterfeiting of Indian Currency Coins of Rs. 5 & Rs. 10 respectively. He further disclosed that he is a 10th standard dropout from a Govt. School. In the year 1990, he started a jewellery shop in the area of PS Uttam Nagar, but after 3-4 month a theft took place at his shop, as such he faced great financial crises. Thereafter, he started a new business of exporting of clothes during the period of 1991-1993, but the business didn’t do well. Afterwards, he dabbled in many small businesses. During the year 1997, he came in contact with one Gulshan Gambhir of Dehradun, who had given him the idea to enter into illegal and lucrative trade of manufacturing of counterfeiting coins of Rs.5/-. After learning nitty-gritty of the trade, he established a self owned module of minting & counterfeiting coins in the area of Nangli Sakrawati in Delhi. With Gulshan’s guidance he started manufacturing coins of Rs. 5 denomination. In the year 1999, he was arrested at PS Connaught Place, New Delhi with the counterfeited coins of Rs 5, but he did not disclose Sweekar’s name. Soon after jail release, Upkar Luthra established another unit for minting counterfeit coins afresh in the area of Anand Vihar, Delhi, but he could not mint counterfeit coins for a long time and was again arrested by Delhi Police. This time also, Upkar Luthra didn’t disclose the name of Sweekar Luthra as one of his accomplices.
Since, not much infrastructure was required for making counterfeit coins, Upkar Luthra with the assistance of his aides, including his younger brother was able to establish one after another counterfeit coin manufacturing units in the area of Delhi and Haryana and kept on indulging in the same trade.
Till the year 2008-09, Upkar Luthra became infamous in this illegal trade. He escaped to Nepal and started managing the affairs of this illegal trade in respect to circulation of counterfeit coins from there. His younger brother Sweekar Luthra started managing operations from India.
Till the year 2010, Upkar Luthra had expanded this illegal trade and roped in more accomplices who helped him in disposing of the counterfeit coins. One Satish, hailing from Delhi, was one of such accomplices who was in the illegal trade of selling of vehicles, which were got financed on fake identities. Seeing the profit involved in this illegal trade, on his direction, Sweekar Luthra established counterfeit coins manufacturing unit in the area of Uttam Nagar and made Ramesh Verma, who hails from Hissar (Haryana), as his partner in this trade. In the year 2015, Ramesh Verma introduced many others in this illegal trade including Naresh, Gulshan, Sachin, etc. and established other counterfeit coins manufacturing units at Bawana Industrial Area, Delhi, Charkhi Dadri & Ambala, Haryana and Nawalgarh, Rajasthan. Realizing that he (Upkar) was losing his supremacy in the trade, Upkar Luthra hatched conspiracy with some contract killers and sent Ramesh Verma to Bihar. He along with Sweekar Luthra and other contract killers eliminated Ramesh Verma. In this case, some of the contract killers were arrested by Bihar Police, whereby, the disclosed about involvement of Luthra brothers.
In the month of October’ 2016, all the remaining accomplices of Upkar Luthra namely Naresh,Gulshan, Sachin and Sanjay Sharma were arrested by Delhi Police in different cases related to recovery of counterfeit coins/manufacturing units. Upkar Luthra was wanted in all those cases as the mastermind/kingpin.
MODUS OPERANDI
In order to mint counterfeit coins a hydraulic machine, a Grinding/kharad machine and a surface grinder is required beside raw material i.e. metallic sheets. Upkar along with his aides learnt to make dyes of counterfeiting coins from Gulshan Gambhir of Dehradoon, who had since expired. He arranged the metallic sheets from Mayapuri and Tilak Nagar areas. Then, from these sheets the shape of coins were craved out at lath machines. After that, with the help of heating and hydraulic machine, the counterfeited coins were prepared. Anti-rust spray was sprayed on the counterfeited coins for final finishing. The manufactured counterfeit coins were then circulated/supplied in toll tax centers, weekly markets and small shop keepers in various parts of Delhi, Rajasthan and Haryana.
Profileof the arrestee:
Upkar Luthra was born in the year 1968 in Punjab. His father was an Ex Navy personnel and settled in Ludhiana, Punjabafter retirement in the year 1975-76. However, during the year 1984, due to disturbed conditions in Punjab, the family shifted to Delhi and settled in West Delhi area. They are two brothers and a sister. In order to become rich overnight and make quick bucks, he alongwith his brother Sweekar learnt the art of minting counterfeit coins, and eventually, they took to crime.
Upkar Luthra@ Abhay Pratap is wanted in below mentioned cases
Case FIR N0. 57/16 U/s 231/235/245 IPC P.S. Spl. Cell, Delhi.
On 07/10/16, based upon a secret information, a raid was conducted in the area on Shiv Vihar, Nilothi Extension, Delhi and two persons namely Gulshan Kumar and Sachin @ Sonu were apprehended and four dyes of Counterfeiting coins of Rs.5 and 125 counterfeited coins of Rs.5 was recovered from the possession of Gulshan and 2000 Counterfeited coins of Rs. 10 was recovered from the possession of Sachin @ Sonu. During investigation total counterfeited coins of Rs. 5,85,590/- (five lacs eighty five thousands and five hundred ninety ), six dyes of counterfeit coins of Rs.5, two dyes of counterfeit coins of Rs.10 and four hydraulic machines and other materials were recovered on the instance of accused persons. During investigation accused persons disclosed that Upkar Luthra @ Abhay Pratap is the mastermind behind this racket.
Case FIR No. 816/16U/s 243 IPC P.S. K.N. Katju Marg, Delhi.
On 01/10/16, based upon on secret information, a trap was laid down in the Rohini area. During checking of vehicles one bag containing counterfeited coins of Rs. 10/- was recovered from the possession of one Naresh kumar hence this case was registered. During investigation factory of counterfeiting coins in the area of Bawana was unearthed. During investigation accused persons disclosed that Sweekar Luthra @ Sonu and his brother Upkar Luthra are the mastermind behind this racket.
Case FIR No.131/16 u/s 302/120-B/201 IPC Farbis Ganj, Bihar
In the month of Feb 2016, one unknown dead body having bullet injury marks in his head was recovered in the area of PS Farbis Ganj Bihar. During investigation, the deceased was identified as Ramesh Verma of Hissar(Haryana). During investigation, three persons were arrested. Accused persons were disclosed that it was Sweekar Luthra @ Sonu and his brother UpkarLuthra, who had paid amount of ‘SUPARI’ for assassinating Ramesh. Sweekar Luthra @ Sonu and his brother Upkar Luthra are wanted in this case. Now the case is transferred to PS Gayeghat Muzaffarpur Bihar.
Case FIR No. 172/16 U/s- 240 IPC Crime Branch, Delhi.
In the month of October 2016, acting upon a secret information a factory of counterfeit coins of Rs.10 was unearthed in the area of Peeragarhi, Delhi. Hence, said case was registered by the crime Branch, Delhi and one Sanjay Sharma was arrested. During investigation accused Sanjay has disclosed that Sweekar Luthra @ Sonu and his brother Upkar Luthra are the mastermind behind this racket.
Previous Involvements of Upkar Luthra @ Abhay Pratap
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Apart from the above involvements, accused Upkar Luthra, has been declared ‘Proclaimed Offender’ by the Court on 01/10/2014 in Case FIR No. 298/13 U/s 235/240/243/34 IPC PS Paschim Vihar, Delhi.
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