Police have arrested a 30-year-old man in possession of counterfeit bills with a face value of Rs 44,000 from Besisahar Municipality-4 in Lamjung district.

The security personnel also seized fake Indian bills valued at IRs1,000 of 500 and 100 denominations along with a computer, printer, scanner and fake government stamps from the suspect’s house. 

Deputy Superintendent of Police Samir Chandra Kharel said Raj Kumar Shrestha was arrested with the counterfeit Nepali and Indian bills. The accused was made public amid a press meet on the premises of the district police office on Saturday.

Employees deployed in ticket counter of Lamjung Festival have been on high alert since they found some fake bills in the counter. Krishna Lal Pradhan, the coordinator of ticket management sub-committee of the festival, said the fake bills were discovered while depositing the amount in a bank on Thursday.

The security personnel, with the help of the ticket counter employees, detained Shrestha as he used the fake bill in the counter on Friday.

After his arrest, the security personnel raided his house in Gairi in Besisahar-4 and seized the printing devices, fake stamps of various government offices, fake driving licences and land ownership certificates. 

“During an interrogation, the suspect said the seized tools and documents belonged to him and admitted his involvement in printing counterfeit bills,” said DSP Kharel, adding that Shrestha had been printing the fake bills for the past three months. The investigation is on, Kharel said. 

According to police, Shrestha, a BE graduate from Pulchok Engineering Campus in Kathmandu, had worked in a construction company briefly. He has been staying in the district for past the four years.

The district police office said they would file a case against the accused as per the existing legal provisions. The suspect could be sentenced up to 16 years in prison if convicted by the court, said a police officer.