HIBAPRESS: Mohamed Zariouh
The city of Al Aaroui was shaken yesterday, Thursday, by an unusual incident after the security services uncovered a network for promoting counterfeit 200-dirham banknotes, in a sensational operation in which a minor child was used as a means of implementing part of the criminal plan.
This incident brought to the fore the danger of gangs that do not hesitate to exploit innocence to achieve illicit gains. The story began when a small child entered a butcher shop in the middle of the city, riding his bicycle, and asked to buy 80 dirhams worth of minced meat, presenting a 200-dirham banknote. A normal act in appearance, but it raised the suspicions of the butcher who noticed a difference in the feel and color of the note. Moments of scrutiny were enough to discover that the note was counterfeit, and he decided to notify the police immediately. The security services were not late in arriving, as the child and his family were summoned to the police station to open an investigation into the incident. During the hearing, the child innocently explained that he had nothing to do with the matter, and that an unknown man had stopped him in the street and asked him to buy the minced meat in exchange for the suspicious banknote. His honest narrative prompted the investigators to review the surveillance cameras in the area to reveal the truth. The analyzed videos confirmed what the child said, as the person who handed him the forged note appeared clearly moments before he entered the butcher shop. Following this, the security services intensified their field investigations, and within a short period, two people suspected of being involved in a network of promoting counterfeit money were arrested, which is believed to have been operating quietly in different neighborhoods of the city. According to informed sources, investigations are continuing under the supervision of the competent Public Prosecution to identify all those involved and find out the source of these counterfeit notes, some of which are likely still in circulation. This case once again highlights the security vigilance in Al Aaroui, and its ability to dismantle dangerous networks that threaten the economy, and exploit children in carrying out criminal plans that know no mercy.
