Home ministry asks states to step up drive against fake currency

The Ministry of Home Affairs has asked states to step up drives against fake Indian currency notes (FICNs) as this poses a serious threat to national security. Seizures and recoveries of FICNs are a matter of serious concern and in certain cases has indicated linkage to terrorist elements. There were about 1,850 cases detected; total value of Rs 258,272,889 of FICNs seized; and 1,265 persons arrested during the year 2010.

States have been asked to share a copy of the forensic report on the seized and recovered FICNs with the Intelligence Bureau (IB) and the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). Subsequently, state police would rope in RBI to analyse the forensic report and share its findings with the IB. Besides, the states have also been asked to set up a committee headed by the director general of police with GM/DGM of RBI, officers of intelligence branch of state police, CID of state police, as members.

A Home ministry official, who did not want to be quoted, told Business Standard “States have been asked to designate a police station at each district police headquarters as the nodal police station wherein the offences relating to FICNs recovered by banks can be reported. The banks will also correspondingly designate a nodal officer in each of the districts in their respective banks. These officers will be vested with the responsibility of reporting the seizures of the FICNs.”

The officer said that nodal officers need to report seizures involving five or more than five pieces in one single transactions as a separate FIR.

Moreover, states have been asked to evolve an efficient system of registration of cases which is crucial to enable both proper investigation and to ensure a comprehensive database for a meaningful action to get to the sources of the proliferation of FICNs.

The National Investigation Agency has been empowered under the National Investigation Act to probe and prosecute cases relating to offences under various provisions of the Indian Penal Code.

The officer informed that the Centre has nominated the Central Bureau of Investigation as the Nodal Agency to monitor investigation of fake currency note cases.

The RBI has also strengthened the mechanism for detection of counterfeit notes by the banks.