Shiban Khaibri
Pakistan continues to send high quality fake currency notes into India to further and sustain its proxy war waged against this country and to attempt to destabilize our economy. This was declared officially last year by Union minister of state for finance, informing the Parliament that large consignments of “high quality” Indian fake currency was being smuggled into this country. He also told the House that as per confirmed inputs from the intelligence and investigation agencies, these consignments were sourced from Pakistan and that the matter was discussed with the US authorities to seek their help to take on the menace of the counterfeit currency notes flooding the Indian markets. The Minister also informed that,” Under the Indo-US homeland security dialogue, counterfeit currency is one of the aspects of cooperation, covering exchange of knowledge, skill and intelligence.” Not only are counterfeit Indian currency notes printed in Pakistan but also in China, the second belligerent neighbour of India. Counterfeit currency pushed into the system has deleterious effects on a country’s economy and as such, this weapon, one of the most diabolical in the arsenal of the proxy war from Pakistan, is manifestation of the “operation Topac”, the most condemnable blue print of terror operations against this country authored by the Late Zia-ul-Haq, the military dictator of Pakistan which had the detestable objectives of disintegrating India, to utilize the spy network to act as an instrument of sabotage , to exploit porous borders with Nepal and Bangladesh to set up bases and conduct operations etc. The operations of counterfeit currency fall in the third objective and hence pumping in the fake currency. It is, in simpler words, an economic terrorism and has to be fought and defeated to save our economy and to completely dry up the currents of funding of terror sponsored by Pakistan in the state of Jammu and Kashmir in particular and across the country in general. The kid glow approach of the government towards Pakistan in respect of all aspects of terror including economic, implied or explicit, cannot be justified to be there, now any more, under the alibi of talks, improving relations or confidence building measures, track two, three or four diplomacy, whatsoever.
Alleged Lashkar member and a kingpin of the fake currency racket Abdul Karim Tunda who was captured by the Indian security forces two months back, has named a top “dealer” in the counterfeit currency trade as the top most racketeer named as Kanna, originally hailing from Muzzafarnagar – UP; and moved over to Pakistan, wherefrom he has been operating since 1993. Tunda has spilled more beans and has told the investigation agencies that Kanna is being run and managed by the ISI of Pakistan and is sourcing his supplies from the two centers of Peshawar and Lahore. He further told the investigating agencies that without the full fledged support from the ISI, it would be impossible to run such a wide network of high value fake currency notes which was even baffling the currency experts. Tunda has also spoken at length about the network of middlemen, agents, distributors and carriers in India. Kana’s network operates from mainly three routes, the Punjab border, the India – Nepal border in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar and the India – Bangladesh border in West Bengal. However, the latest big consignment was reported to have been sent from China as per a report published last month in the Hindustan Times. It may be recalled that in June 2011, Delhi Police seized from a bus driver, a huge consignment of the fake currency notes with a face value of Rs.1. 54 crore which was to be distributed in the states of U.P and Delhi. The bus driver came out to be a Turkish national and a member of the international gang of the racket headed by Kanna. Changing the technique, a garments factory was used by Kanna to smuggle in a whooping face value amount of the fake Indian currency notes (FICN) of Rs. 2.2 crores hidden in rolls of imported garments in January 2012. Continuing with his “trade”, Kanna, on June 21 this year, sent such counterfeit notes to this country with a face value of Rs.30 lac hidden in school bags which were manufactured in China. Delhi, as per intelligence inputs is fast becoming an important circulation point. The worrying aspect of the problem is that more and more centers abroad are surfacing with links with the fake Indian currency notes. One of them is Luxemburg as some fake notes were recovered from two nationals on visit to India who had paid the money to the immigration officials at the Delhi airport and when the officials deposited these notes with a Bank, they refused to accept as they were counterfeit.
Recently two persons involved in Hawala cum fake currency racket were arrested in Jammu with Rs.7 lac face value counterfeit notes. The two arrested – a Kashmiri businessman and a “politician” respectively, both residents of Anantnag District of Kashmir, had received the lot from someone in West Bengal that had been smuggled into India from Pakistan through the route of Bangladesh. It was meant for clandestine operations in Kashmir. Police sources hold the view that ” such high quality fake Indian currency is printed only in Pakistan.” One of the arrested has been in this highly illegal trade for the last nearly two years and police must be ascertaining as to how much of these currency notes, he has been able to get injected into the financial system. He had been successful in getting some political support in West Bengal as well as in Jammu and Kashmir as a cover up only to continue the illegal trade. It is a matter of national concern.
The extent of the menace thrust on us by Pakistan is such that in 2012 a seizure to the extent of Rs. 59 crore was made and Delhi accounted for Rs.7 crores. How much could be the extent of the counterfeit currency in circulation and changing hands several times like any legal tender in comparison with the seizures, can be well understood. Besides adopting ruthless measures to fight this menace and exposing and shaming Pakistan internationally so that it stops these nefarious activities, the need is to launch effective awareness campaign by the government so that public gets adequate knowledge as to how a fake note could be distinguished from the genuine one . The Banks across the country are advised from time to time by the Reserve Bank of India and other government agencies in the matter and even are provided with the necessary aides including trainings provided to the staff for detection of the fake notes followed by other necessary action. In its recently issued monetary policy statement of 2013-14, the Reserve Bank of India has been constantly upgrading the security features in high value currency notes in consultation with and advice from the government of India to strengthen the detection mechanism of the fake notes. Since this is an ongoing process, the government needs to take other stringent measures so that the operating structure of the menace of counterfeit notes gets totally dismantled.
It is heartening that the Border Security Force, in addition to its normal duties, is performing a wonderful role to contain the scourge of the fake currency being smuggled into this country by Pakistan via Bangladesh border. They have been organizing workshops in states like Assam and other north eastern states to educate and make aware the people, about the perilous effect of the fake currency notes which are posing far more serious threat to the country than the illegal influx of the Bangladeshi nationals. The extent and the volume of fake Indian currency notes printed in these two countries, mostly in Pakistan and smuggled into this country through the porous border points of Bangladesh and Nepal, has taken very alarming proportions. This has put a challenging task to the Border Security Force personnel to attend to this problem. They do conduct workshops to educate people mostly those living near border areas as how to detect these notes. Involvement of villagers in large numbers is definitely providing all the strength to their efforts to tackle this menace. The techniques of detecting are being imparted to these people and in case of any doubt; they contact the nearest branch of a Bank to help them in detection process. The perpetrators of this crime from across the border are employing newer strategies both in printing and in seeing the huge consignments were getting melted in the circulation mainstream in the country. No wonder in the year 2009 – 10, fake currency “valuing” nearly Rs.27 crores were seized, in 2010 -11, as much as Rs.25 crores were recovered, and in the previous fiscal, as much as Rs.27 crores were recovered. How much must have got pumped into the system must be anybody’s guess and the havoc played with our economic system, economic planning and the stability of price line is enormous. The modus operandi of transporting these duplicate notes have been through conduits, terrorists, smugglers, illegal immigrants from Bangladesh and even through truck loads carrying coal. Some help from within the country too to the thugs from the neighbouring countries under reference, indulging in the nefarious highly criminal activities, has also been reported. Let there be all round zero tolerance to the menace of Counterfeit notes and concerted efforts mobilized to fight the economic terrorism.
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