Two BBM graduates from Davangere who cheated shopkeepers in rural areas by handing over fake Rs 200 notes, were arrested by Udupi police on Wednesday.
The duo printed the currency on their own after watching tutorial videos on YouTube. Karkala rural police, headed by police sub-inspector Naseer Hussain, arrested the duo after an alert shopkeeper informed the police about his suspicion.
The arrested persons are Chethan Gowda (23) and Arpita Navale, both residents of Davangere. Police seized an SUV vehicle, fake currency notes, printer and other items used for the operation.
According to the police, the duo were in a relationship and decided to print fake currency notes and use them in the last 45 days. "They would go to small shops and buy goods worth Rs 50 and hand over Rs 200 fake currency. This was their modus operandi", a police official told Times of India.
On Wednesday, the duo tried to repeat the trick when they arrived at a medical shop in Kedinje village in Karkala taluk of Udupi district around 10 am. They handed over a fake Rs 200 note in exchange for an ointment which cost Rs 43.
But the shopkeeper Sudheer Shetty grew suspicious and rushed to a bank to check the note's authenticity. The couple ran away at this point but were caught later at 5 pm at Kothalakatte in Kaup police station limits, reported Deccan Herald.
Before they were caught, the duo had successfully used the fake notes in places like Mysuru, Davangere and Belagavi.