NEW DELHI: The Border Security Force (BSF) Police has seized fake Rs 2,000 notes that display a degree of sophistication and looks almost original but led security agencies to suspect that Pakistan was attempting to replicate the new currency. On Wednesday the first such major consignment of 100 fake Indian currency notes of Rs 2,000 denomination was seized in West Bengal. Intelligence Bureau, NIA and BSF officials say, Pakistan had activated its fake currency smugglers in Bangladesh and Nepal and consignments of fake notes, mostly in Rs 2,000 and Rs 100 denomination are being smuggled in to India, Police said. On Tuesday BSF and NIA stumbled on the conspiracy after arresting a Malda-based FICN smuggler Umar Faruk with three fake Rs 2,000 notes. The notes had some replicated features like colour, texture, electrotype watermark, see-through feature, year of manufacturing, Swachh Bharat and Mangal Yaan logo, but these notes were unable to match features like Gandhi watermark, security thread, 100% cotton paper and embossing by insertion of Intaglio images, an officer said. A suspected smuggler on the Indian side was set to receive the bundle from the Bangladeshi side but he “managed to escape taking advantage of the darkness and thick growth in the orchard, Police said. A BSF team said, “The packet, flung from across the border, landed in the orchard and it was recovered by the BSF team.]]>
