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Beer and Vodka. That’s what the doctors ordered?

Mohammad Rashid Kunju was an important pointsman in the circulation of fake Indian currency notes (FICN) racket, operated in India by Pakistan.

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Mohammad Rashid Kunju was an important pointsman in the circulation of fake Indian currency notes (FICN) racket, operated in India by Pakistan. The police arrested him on December 14. But instead of cooling his heels in prison, Kunju ensured that he ended up on the lap of luxury in a private hospital in Raigad. There, guarded by the cops, he spent his days bingeing; his wife and son visiting him at any time of the day with cans of beer, cigarette packets and vodka bottles.

The good time, however, did not last long. Kunju, who had been in magisterial custody since his arrest, convinced the court that he was in need of urgent medical attention. On January 30, he moved into the hospital, and on February 3, sleuths from the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) came calling.

What happened was that, just a day ago, the DRI intercepted two of Kunju’s operatives - Khalil Chalkara Mohammad, 26, and Shabbir Mohammad, 22, at Kurla Terminus. A senior DRI officer told DNA that the duo was travelling on fake identities, of Sheikh Naeem and Mohammad Shafiq respectively, carrying an innocuous-looking cardboard carton containing fruits and snacks.

A thorough check revealed that the carton had a false bottom, underneath which was stashed Rs19.8 lakh fake currency in Rs500 denomination. The duo confessed that they had similarly handed over Rs17 lakh in FICN to Kunju prior to his arrest by Raigad police in December 2008. “The duo were found to have made several phone calls on Kunju’s mobile. So, we decided to question him,” he said.

On February 3, a DRI team went to the private hospital in Khalapur, Raigad. “Entering his room, we found cans of beer and vodka bottles strewn all around, with Kunju in an inebriated state. Two constables and an assistant sub-inspector guarded his room 24 round-the-clock. It could only mean that they were indulging an economic terrorist,” said the DRI officer. “We have asked the Raigad SP Pratap Digaonkar to take appropriate action against them.”

Digaonkar told DNA: “Kunju was referred to the private hospital by the medical officer of Khalapur Government Hospital. We are still to receive the medical report of Kunju that establishes he was drunk.” When asked whether the three cops guarding Kunju would be suspended, he declined to comment.

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