CHARUMMOODU: Following the arrest of a former panchayat president and his friend in a counterfeit currency note case, three people, including the main suspect, a serial actor, have been arrested. Police have seized counterfeit currency worth Rs 4.5 lakh from the serial actor's vehicle.

The arrested persons are Nemom Karakkamandapam native Shamnad (Shyam Attingal- 40), Kottarakkara Valakom native Shyam Sasi (29) and Chunakkara native Ranjith (49). The police had earlier arrested Kallada native Cleetus (45) and Thamarakkulam native Lekha (48) in the counterfeit currency case.

The other day, Lekha had given a Rs 500 currency note to a supermarket in Charummoodu. The employees of the supermarket later contacted the police after they felt suspicious of the currency note. Lekha said that it was Cleetus who gave her the currency note. In a subsequent inspection, the police found counterfeit notes from his house Cleetus then revealed the role of Ranjith, who works in the real estate sector. When Ranjith and Cleetus were interrogated, they said that actor Shamnad was the one delivering the notes. The police then arrested Shamnad from Sasthamkotta. They also found counterfeit notes of Rs 2000, 500 and 200 worth 4 and a half lakhs from a secret compartment of the car.