Fake Indian Currency Notes Being Pushed in Through Porous Indo-Bangladesh Border: Police
NEW DELHI, June 25: The porous border between India and Bangladesh in West Bengal had remained a source of many scourges including large scale illegal infiltration of Bangladeshi national to India but the recent arrest of a fake currency note supplier has also brought to the notice how it was damaging the country’s economy.
The arrest of notorious Fake Indian Currency Notes (FICN) supplier Habibur Rehman from his village in Malda district of West Bengal by Special Cell of Delhi Police has revealed that many Bangladesh based elements are pumping FICN in India through Bangladesh border. During interrogation, Rehman, who was carrying a reward of Rs. 1 lakh on his head from Delhi Police, divulged that he was part of a big international FICN racket, the police said.
A team of Special Cell led by Inspectors Vivekanand Pathak and Kuldeep Singh Yadav, under the supervision of Additional Commissioner of Police Jasbir Singh, arrested Rehman.
Police said the team of Inspectors Pathak and Yadav were developing secret and specific information about reviving of circulation of fake Indian currency notes by the members of an international syndicate in India. Thereupon manual as well as technical surveillance was mounted upon the movements of suspected members of this syndicate. During surveillance, it was revealed that FICN was being pumped in India through porous Indo-Bangladesh border. “Circulation of Fake currency is a sort of proxy war against the economy of a country. Pre-demonetization circulation of high quality of FICN was at its peak. Demonetization had broken the backbone of such rackets. However, once again such syndicates have started their nefarious activities. They have been improving the quality of FICN and covering almost all the security features present in genuine Indian currency notes. Painstaking efforts bore fruit as few members of this syndicate were identified,” police said.
On January 21, 2021, the police received a specific information that a key member of this syndicate namely Sheikh Shehzad would come at Anand Vihar Railway Station in Delhi to deliver a big consignment of FICN to one of his contacts. A raiding party was immediately formed and a trap was laid near Anand Vihar Railway Station, where he was apprehended and searched. Upon search, high quality FICN in Rs. 2000 denomination amounting to Rs. four lakhs was recovered from his possession. Sheikh Shehzad had disclosed that he used to procure FICN from Rehman and further supply the same to various persons in UP and Delhi.
Recovered FICN was deposited in Currency Note Press, Nasik Road for expert opinion. Report from Currency Note Press said the recovered notes were High Quality Counterfeit Notes as key security features had been imitated in these notes.
During investigation, the police obtained non-bailable arrest warrants for Habibur Rehman from the court of Chief Metropolitan Magistrate, Patiala House Court. “Sincere efforts were made to arrest Habibur Rehman but he was shrewd enough to dodge the police each time and evaded his arrest,” the police said. It disclosed that teams from Northern Range had been camping in and around Malda to arrest Rehman. Technical as well as manual surveillance was mounted in order to develop information in this regard. On June 19, 2021, a top secret information was received that accused Rehman was present at his house in his village. Based on the information, a trap was laid around his village and Rehman was arrested. He was produced before the Judicial Magistrate, Malda, West Bengal and three days transit remand was obtained.
Police said during interrogation, Rehman disclosed that one Jamal, resident of Malda, West Bengal lured him in the field of FICN circulation after which he started supplying FICN to various persons including Sheikh Shehzad. He procured FICN from one Aaseeruddin, resident of Malda, and further supplied the same to various persons in Bihar, UP and Delhi NCR. He informed the police that the fake currency notes were mostly being printed in Bangladesh and pushed into India through porous Indo-Bangladesh Border.
Police is now probing whether any part of the illegal currency was being used to promote terror and anti-national activities.
(Manas Dasgupta)
