STF arrests fake currency supplier

KOLKATA: The Special Task Force of Kolkata police has arrested a 23-year-old man from East Singhbhum district in Jharkand for allegedly dealing with fake currency with face value worth Rs 2 lakh. He was arrested from the B B Ganguly Street in central Kolkata. Previously, currency was smuggled from Nepal through Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.
But some years ago, Indian agencies managed to neutralize the key racketeer based in Nepal which forced the gang to shift the route.Since then Malda and Murshidabad - which share a common border with Bangladesh - have grown as the main supply route.
Despite several efforts, the Indian agencies have failed to block the route. In 2011, Kolkata STF seized Rs 1.05 crore in fake currency from the city itself, while the total amount seized till now stands at Rs 50 lakh. Most of this amount was supplied from Malda, confirmed a senior STF officer. Taking advantage of the labour movement from Bihar and Jharkhand, racketeers have turned this area into a prime fake notes circulation hub.
"We were tracking this syndicate which operates from Malda in West Bengal. They operated through Bangladesh border and circulated currency via various conduits. The members of the syndicate are from Maharashtra, Gujarat, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Rajasthan and they used to collect consignments from Kolkata and Malda," said a senior police officer from STF.