Mumbai Crime Branch Busts Counterfeit Stamp Paper Operation

Counterfeit Stamp Paper Arrests in Mumbai

Mumbai, May 29: The Crime Branch of Mumbai has apprehended two individuals near the Mumbai airport for allegedly possessing fake stamp papers valued at over Rs 62.5 lakh.

The suspects have been named as Rohit Jadhav, 37, from Badlapur, and Narendra Ahire, 46, from Kopar Khairane in Navi Mumbai.

Authorities reported that the pair was intercepted while allegedly transporting counterfeit stamp papers intended for delivery to another individual.

The Crime Branch Unit 8 confiscated 251 counterfeit non-judicial stamp papers, each purportedly worth Rs 25,000, summing up to a total face value of around Rs 62,50,500. These forged papers were reportedly meant for various non-judicial transactions.

Investigators revealed that the accused had been creating affidavits for loan applicants using these fake stamp papers, instructing them to travel to Delhi for loan processing. During the trip, they would allegedly make the bag containing the documents vanish, later claiming it had been stolen, which hindered the loan process.

Police noted that Rohit Jadhav is originally from Ambernath, while Narendra Ahire is from Kopar Khairane in Navi Mumbai. Authorities suspect Ahire to be the mastermind behind this counterfeit stamp paper scheme.

Reports indicate that Ahire provided the fake stamp papers to Jadhav for further distribution.

The suspects were presented before the Esplanade Court, which ordered them to be held in police custody for seven days.

The Mumbai Crime Branch is continuing its investigation to trace the origin of the counterfeit stamp papers, identify the intended recipients, and uncover any broader network involved in this operation.

In a related incident earlier this year, a Mumbai Police team arrested two additional suspects from Uttar Pradesh and Delhi linked to a postal stamp forgery operation, recovering fake stamps valued at nearly Rs 28 lakh.