According to police, the accused, Ashok, was arrested with fake notes to the tune of Rs 3,000 after a shopkeeper alerted them on Wednesday. His accomplice, Suman, however, managed to escape, police said.

Paresh Pandey, SP (City), said,” Both Ashok and Suman are suppliers of fake notes in Noida while their gang operates in Ghaziabad. The accused had reportedly spent nearly Rs 1,800 before Ashok was caught.”

T J Singh, in-charge of Sector-18 police post, said, “During interrogations, Ashok said both of them were part of a larger gang. They initially claimed they withdrew the notes from an ATM.”

Police said the original and fake notes are very similar. “The gangs supplying the notes use advanced technology to manufacture them, making it difficult to instantly recognise the fake notes,” a senior police officer said.

The Noida police is now planning to coordinate with the Ghaziabad police, which has busted 10 gangs in the city over the last two months alone.

SP Pandey said, “There has been a rise in the number of arrests of gangs involved in supplying fake currency. In most cases, the accused belong to areas bordering the NCR and outer regions. We will be discussing the cases with officials of the Ghaziabad police.”