A 31-year-old man was taken into custody in the Bulgarian town of Kazanlak after attempting to use counterfeit euro banknotes in local shops, the Stara Zagora Regional Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs has announced.

The arrest followed multiple complaints from shopkeepers who had fallen victim to the scam. On August 1, a 46-year-old woman, managing a business in the city, alerted authorities after realizing she had accepted five fake €100 notes. The day before, a 20-year-old employee at a separate commercial location had also reported being handed a counterfeit €100 bill.

Police launched an investigation and soon identified the suspect. Upon searching the man, officers discovered a total of 16 forged banknotes in his possession, eight with a denomination of €100 and another eight worth €50.

The man was detained for up to 24 hours. Pre-trial proceedings have been opened under the direction of the District Prosecutor’s Office in Stara Zagora, which is now overseeing the case.