The arrested individuals have been identified as Amena Begum, 28, daughter of Mohammad Hossain from Char Dukhiya West Union; Shilpi Begum, 45, daughter of the late Jainal Abedin from Gobindapur North Union; Pakhi Begum, 38, daughter of Abdul Malek Manik from Faridganj South Union; and Hasina Akter, 30, from the same area. According to police reports, although the women hail from different villages within the upazila, they reside together in a rented flat in Chandpur district town, operating as an organised group targeting rural market vendors.

The incident unfolded when the women entered a grocery shop owned by local trader Abul Hashem to purchase mosquito coils valued at Tk 100. They presented a high-denomination Tk 1,000 note to settle the bill. Suspicious of the note’s texture and appearance, Hashem consulted neighbouring shopkeepers, who quickly confirmed that the currency was fake. As the suspects attempted to slip away from the crowded market, local traders detained them and alerted Shahjahan Patwari, the local Union Parishad Chairman.

Upon arriving at the scene, Chairman Patwari searched the women’s handbags in the presence of witnesses, recovering counterfeit notes totalling Tk 4,500. He secured the suspects inside the Union Parishad building and notified the Faridganj Police Station. A police team promptly arrived, seized the fake notes, and took the four women into custody.

Confirming the arrests, Faridganj Police Inspector Al Amin stated that rural markets are frequently targeted by counterfeit rings taking advantage of busy trading hours and limited detection equipment among small shopkeepers. Police have filed a formal case against the four suspects, and further investigations are underway to uncover the broader network responsible for manufacturing and supplying the forged notes. All four women were presented before a Chandpur court on Monday afternoon.