Sri Lankan diamond merchant arrested

CHENNAI: City police on Tuesday arrested two persons, including a Sri Lankan diamond merchant, for counterfeiting currency notes here.

According to police, Prince, 28, a diamond merchant from Colombo, was caught when a private bank informed them that counterfeit currency notes were being deposited in the bank.

Prince, who has been in the diamond business for more than four years, had sold a birthstone to a person in Chennai, introduced by Parameswaran, 45, of Madipakkam, for Rs 4.5 lakh.

Prince did his business in Chennai with the support of Parameswaran. On Monday, Prince deposited Rs 2 lakh in Parameswaran’s account at a private bank in Kottivakkam and the remaining amount at a private bank on Radhakrishnan Salai.

The police found that the Rs 2 lakh that he deposited in a private bank in Kottivakkam was counterfeit currency notes.