The CID has claimed that 26-year-old Tabassum Abdullah Motorwalla, who was arrested with fake currency notes worth Rs 5 lakh in Delhi on Sunday, had been holed up in the city for more than a week.

Investigating officers suspect the Mumbai-based Tabassum was a key link in a fake note racket spread across the country.

Smart, confident and fluent in several languages, Tabassum had “strong” contacts in Mumbai, Karachi and Dubai, said a senior CID officer.

She had been working for a Dhaka-based operator for the past several months.

“Around two years back, Tabassum’s husband Yakub, alias Sarfaraaz, was arrested in a hotel on Sudder Street for his links with a fake note racket operating from the city,” the officer added.

“Yakub had identified himself as a Bangladeshi national. He said Tabassum, who he claimed was in Bangladesh, was involved in the trade,” according to the officer.

But a few other criminals — like Mohammad Firoz, alias Haji Razzak — who were arrested in Mumbai in connection with a fake note case had told sleuths that Yakub was from Pakistan.

“Haji was arrested in Mumbai in April 2005. He admitted that he had worked with Tabassum and Yakub. He said the fake currency rackets were most active along border areas,” said an investigating officer.

Tabassum had visited Karachi in April to meet another kingpin, Jamil, who had asked her to contact Bilal, the man behind the fake note racket in India.

Sleuths claimed that Tabassum and her husband had developed strong contacts in the city and its adjoining areas, particularly along the porous Bangladeshi border in North 24-Parganas.

Recently, two more criminals were arrested from a hideout in North 24-Parganas with fake notes.

The duo was later sent to Mumbai for interrogation.

“They had opened an account in a Barasat bank to ensure that payments arrived in time. They must have been aware of Tabassum’s presence in the city, as they had links with Mumbai-based fake currency dealers,” the CID officer said.

Cleanliness week: Eastern Railway started an awareness campaign at 13 major stations to maintain cleanliness among commuters with help from volunteers of the Railway Scouts and Guides from June 12 to 17.