Special cell to tackle counterfeit currency

In reply to a question, Singh said the government was considering booking the accused involved in circulation of fake currency notes under charges of conducting anti-national activities.

Since June last, police have arrested 12 persons in three cases of smuggling the fake currency notes worth Rs 1.31 crore into the country and circulating them at places like Mumbai, Surat, Ahmedabad, Hyderbad and Gaya (Bihar). In all three cases, the notes had been sent from Dubai and the investigations revealed that Pakistan’s intelligence agency Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) had planned to paralyse the Indian economy by circulating the fake currency notes in large quantity, the Upper House was informed in a statement.

As per the modus operandi adopted by ISI agents and the Dawood Ibrahim gang, tourists visiting Dubai were being offered free airplane tickets and even cash to smuggle the fake notes into India. The notes were being sent by concealing them in flowerpots, sports equipments and aluminium foils, he added.

Singh also said one Abbas Akbarbhai Unjawala, who had been arrested at Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport in Mumbai along with fake notes of Rs 7.20 lakh on June 4, was in custody of the Customs. The officers of Custmos and Central Intelligence Bureau were investigating the case since it was related to the economic security of the country. The officials are yet to trace one Raju, who was to receive the consignment of fake notes brought by Abbas, Singh admitted.

He also made it clear that the Reserve Bank of India had not published any list of numbers of fake currency notes.