Nagpur man fails to pay rent, allegedly prints fake Rs 500 notes worth Rs 37 lakh

In a shocking development, a man reportedly printed fake Rs 500 notes worth around Rs 37 lakh inside a rented room in Nagpur, Maharashtra, amid a dispute over unpaid rent. The racket surfaced after the landlord broke into the room when the tenant was missing for several days.

When police reached the spot after receiving the information, they were surprised to see bundles of counterfeit currency, along with a printer and printing material inside the room. The cops also discovered partially printed fake notes and other material worth nearly Rs 48 lakh.

The accused, identified as Pushpak Krishna Bhandarkar, alias Bendane, is a resident of Trimurti Nagar in Nagpur. Pushpak is currently absconding, and the police have launched a search. Nearly one and a half years ago, Pushpak rented a room in the Kharbi area, and the rental agreement expired in January this year. In response, he had reportedly stopped paying rent for several months.

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The tenant turned hostile

When landlord Ramesh asked Pushpak to vacate the rented premises, the tenant allegedly turned hostile and threatened him with a knife. Following this, Ramesh filed a non-cognizable complaint at Wathoda Police. With the tenant having stayed away from the room for an extended period afterwards, Ramesh decided to break open the lock with a hammer on Saturday.

What he found inside left him stunned: bundles of currency notes stuffed in a bucket, loose sheets of paper strewn across the floor, and a printer set up in the room. He wasted no time alerting the police about the suspicious find.

Officers who arrived at the scene discovered bundles of fake Rs 500 notes and brought in a counting machine to tally the haul. Early investigation suggested the accused had printed counterfeit currency worth an estimated Rs 37 lakh.

During the search, police also recovered semi-printed notes and equipment used for printing. Altogether, the value of the seized notes and materials — including notes printed only on one side- came to around Rs 48 lakh.

After recovery, police seized the entire found material and then began searching for Pushpak. After the inputs, cops found he was in Mumbai and then sent a team to Mumbai to trace and arrest him. Meanwhile, a complete probe related to the development is underway, and police are examining the circumstances surrounding the alleged counterfeit currency operation.