Actor Anupam Kher expressed his shock after an Ahmedabad trader was scammed with counterfeit ₹500 notes displaying his photo instead of Mahatma Gandhi’s. In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Kher remarked, “My photo instead of Mahatma Gandhi’s on a ₹500 note??? Kuch bhi ho sakta hai (Anything can happen).” He also shared a video report about the incident.
The complaint was filed by Mehul Thakkar, a bullion trader, at the Navrangpura police station on September 24. Thakkar reported that one of his employees was approached by suspects for a deal involving 2,100 grams of gold valued at ₹1.6 crore. The men delivered ₹1.3 crore in cash, promising to pay the remaining ₹30 lakh the next day. After handing over the gold, they vanished, leaving Thakkar to discover that all the notes were fake.
According to a police officer, Thakkar was initially contacted by Prashant Patel, a jewelry shop manager with whom he has a longstanding business relationship. Patel informed Thakkar that the buyer could not transfer the full amount immediately and would instead provide ₹1.3 crore in cash.
On September 24, Thakkar’s employee, Joshi, delivered the gold to a temporary office set up by the suspects. After handing over 26 bundles of cash, the men asked Joshi to use a machine to count the money while they stepped outside to retrieve the remaining amount. It was only after they had disappeared that Joshi realized the notes bore Anupam Kher’s likeness instead of Gandhi’s.
Police are investigating the case and using CCTV footage to track the suspects, who remain at large. A Navrangpura police officer commented, “This is a unique case of counterfeit currency with a Bollywood twist. We are working to identify and apprehend the culprits.”
