SRINAGAR, FEBRUARY 7, 2007: Police apprehends two with Rs 70,000 fake Indian Currency in Srinagar.

Jammu, May 18, 2007: Police nabs two with Rs 20,000 fake currency at Sidhra near Jammu.

Rajouri, September 18, 2007: Rajouri Police books two for possessing Rs 15,000 fake Indian currency

Jammu, December 19, 2007: Two persons apprehended with fake currency worth Rs 27,000 from a hotel at Shalimar Chowk, Jammu

The list of such datelines and banner headings is long. This is just the tip of an iceberg. In fact, only few incidents came to the notice of the Police and were reported in the media. The fact is that fake currency is being pumped into India every day and states like Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Delhi and Bihar are the major centres where the trading of such illegal currency is high and done only by enemy agents from across the borders in a bid to destabilize the Indian economy.

Despite arresting many including some kingpins in the past involved in the trade, the fake currency notes ironically change hands everyday. Various local and nationalised banks seize a few of them they can lay their hands on and withdraw them from circulation.

According to the reports fake currency in bulk is pumped into India through Bangladesh, Pakistan and Nepal through couriers, who charge 30 per cent of the commission for delivering the consignments. Despite the number of measures taken to check the illegal trade, every year, Police seizes lakhs of such notes in Jammu and Kashmir. Media reports add that this illegal trade is also flourishing in the cities of Bihar, Delhi and Punjab with Srinagar being the major hub.

Other than destabilising the Indian economy, there could be more reasons to pump fake currency in states like Bihar, Punjab or Delhi, but the fact is that in Jammu and Kashmir, the money is mainly used for undertaking subversive activities. There have been instances when the terrorists’ mentors exploited innocents to throw hand grenades on civilians and in lieu of that, were offered some notes, most of them fake ones!

The Police lay the onus on the public to report for any such fake currency that comes their way. The bank officials are of the opinion that such is the similarity that the commoners can not normally differentiate between a genuine and a fake currency. The detection can be normally undertaken by the employees who are trained for it or only through specialized machines installed in the banks. Then, there is a strong and urgent need for mass awareness measures so that the people could be saved from being faked.

In absence of such awareness measures, will masses continue to be befooled and anti national elements allowed to pump fake currency to ruin the Indian economy, is a million dollar question!