archive: ISI pumping in fake Indian currency through Nepal border
ISI pumping in fake Indian currency through Nepal border
Sudhir Kumar Mishra
The Observer
June 29, 1999
Title: ISI pumping in fake Indian currency through Nepal border
Author: Sudhir Kumar Mishra
Publication: The Observer
Date: June 29, 1999
Pakistan's Interservices Intelligence's latest move to cripple Indian
economy by pumping counterfeit currency notes in circulation has
reached an alarming point In the past few months there hasn't been a
single day when a case of fake currency notes was not detected.
Sources In the intelligence department maintain that ISI is actively
pumping fake currency notes In the Indian territory through Nepal and
other neighbouring countries.
The districts of Bihar along the Indo-Nepal border happen to be the
soft target
Lack of effective coordination between the special branch of the State
Government and the Central intelligence is of additional advantages to
the smugglers.
Further, lack of adequate number of machines to detect the fake
currency notes have made the task of ISI agents much easier.
In fact, Patna branch of RBI has only ultra-violet torch to detect
fake currency notes.
In the first week of this month, the Centre had convened a meeting of
the Home Secretaries of the States in Delhi, where ISI latest gameplan
was discussed at length. During the meeting, that lasted three days,
it was agreed that the states should install adequate number of
machines needed to detect fake currency notes, In consultation with
the RBI.
The states were also exhorted to initiate steps for the early disposal
of pending cases related to fake currency notes.
Accordingly Bihar Home Secretary U N Punjiyar wrote to Chief Secretary
S N Biswas to provide such machines to the police stations, especially
those in the border area.
The Home Secretary is also learnt to have told the Chief Secretary
that our national economy will soon be ruined if immediate steps were
not taken.
RBI Deputy General Manager, Patna, N K Verma maintains that over 3,000
cases related to fake currency notes are pending at various levels in
the state. Not a single among them has bow disposed of.
In the state capital, at least 150 such case are pending in Gandhi
Maidan police station alone where RBI branch office is located.
In the first week of this month, the RBI's Patna office convened a
meeting of various banks, P&T department, railways and other bodies
involved in huge transaction of currency notes. Ways and means to
detect fake notes were elaborately discussed at this meeting. They
were also reportedly asked to install fake note detecting machines.
However, sources add that the ultra-violet torches can detect the
genuineness of currency notes only in the denominations of Rs 100 and
Rs 500.
Means to detect the genuineness of currency notes in other
denominations are yet to be worked out.
It is reported that in the year 1995 also military intelligence had
given a detailed report on ISI activities aimed at pumping in
counterfeit currency through Indo-Nepal border.
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