Pune News: Hinjawadi Fake Notes Scam Busted, “Double Your Money” Fraud Foiled by Police
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A string of financial scams has sent shockwaves through Pune’s bustling Hinjawadi area, where quick money schemes and counterfeit currency tricks have caught multiple unsuspecting victims off-guard. In two separate incidents, police uncovered a fake land transaction involving bogus notes and a fraudulent “double money” scheme — both eerily reminiscent of notorious scam plots from cinema, but this time, with real-life consequences.
₹7.5 Lakh Land Deal Turns Into a Trap
What was supposed to be a simple land sale turned into a nightmare for 29-year-old Prakash Adhav, a Bavdhan-based real estate agent. On July 1, during a deal arranged near the popular Mezza 9 Restaurant in Hinjawadi Phase 1, Adhav was handed a cash payment of ₹7.5 lakh by three men — a deal that quickly unraveled after the money turned out to be fake.
Adhav had agreed to sell a small plot to one Prakash Ingale, a resident of Jalgaon. Ingale, along with his associates — Chetan Ingale (26) and Akash Dandge (28) — delivered the payment in bundles that appeared legitimate at first glance. Real notes were placed on the top and bottom of each stack to conceal the counterfeit notes sandwiched in between. Instead of bearing the “Reserve Bank of India” seal, many notes were printed with the words “Children Bank of India.”
Adhav’s sharp eye caught the inconsistency as he began to count the cash. Realizing he had been duped, he rushed to Hinjawadi Police Station and filed a complaint. Chetan and Akash were swiftly apprehended on Wednesday, and Prakash Ingale was arrested in Jalgaon the following day.
The case is being investigated under Sections 318(4) (cheating) and 3(5) (common intention) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). Assistant Police Inspector Somnath Panchal, leading the investigation, confirmed that all three accused have been remanded to police custody until July 5.
The method used in the fraud draws an uncanny parallel to a scene from the cult Bollywood comedy Phir Hera Pheri, where a similar trick is used — bundles of fake currency disguised with real ones on top and bottom. In reel life, it was comedy. In Hinjawadi, it turned into a serious criminal offense with real victims and consequences.
Another Scam Foiled: The Double Money Lie
Just as police were tightening the net around the land deal fraud, another scam surfaced — this one involving the classic “double your money” trap. Coincidentally, the same two accused from the earlier case — Chetan Ingale and Akash Dandge — were once again involved.
According to police, the duo approached another real estate agent from Bavdhan and promised to turn his ₹2.10 lakh into ₹7 lakh overnight. The offer raised the agent’s suspicions, prompting him to inform his friend, police constable Kiran Pawar.
A trap was laid near Laxmi Chowk around 9:30 p.m. on Tuesday. When the accused arrived with a bag supposedly filled with cash, they were caught red-handed. Instead of real money, the bag contained board game notes — another bold attempt to deceive.
The two were booked under BNS Section 318 for cheating. API Somnath Panchal, who is also handling this case, mentioned that further investigation is underway to find out if more people were duped using similar tactics.
Similar Fraud in Nigdi
In a separate but related incident just a day prior, on June 30, another scam was reported in Nigdi Pradhikaran. Dheeraj Rathod attempted to pass off six counterfeit ₹500 notes — worth ₹3,000 — during a ₹4 lakh transaction at Sachin Jewellers. The shop owner, Shirish Deshmukh, discovered the fake notes and lodged a complaint at the Nigdi Police Station. Though the scale was smaller, the pattern of inserting a few fake notes within a larger, genuine bundle was consistent with the Hinjawadi case.
