KARIMGANJ (ASSAM): A racket in fake Indian currency notes (FICN) is operating from Pakistan with the support of its intelligence wing ISI and terrorist outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) for distribution of FICN in India.
Interrogation of apprehended FICN operatives and intelligence reports have revealed that the kingpin of this racket identified as Iqbal Rana was working at the behest of ISI, a top BSF official said on Tuesday on condition of anonymity.
The involvement of LeT has been established and this added a new angle to the clandestine operation .
Three nodal centres had been set up in Jammu, Malda in West Bengal and in Nepal for distribution of FICN across the country, he said.
The FICN are mostly in the face value of Rs 500 and Rs 1000 and are packed in bundles of Rs 5000 and Rs 10000 for easy transportation.
Jammu is the nodal point for covering the western, southern and northern parts of India, while Malda is the conduit point for supply of fake notes to West Bengal, Bihar and the north eastern states.
The centre in Nepal is used for stocking and distribution of counterfeit notes and smuggling them to Bangladesh for distribution across Assam and the eastern frontier states, he said.
At least 12 modules have been set up in cities and towns of the country to penetrate deep into urban and rural areas, he said.
“The cause of concern is that the agents and couriers attached to the modules work as spies for ISI and also as emotional base for the terrorist outfit Laskar-e-Taiba”, the officer said.
The BSF official said FICN of face value of Rs eight crore was seized in Nepal during the last three years giving an indication of how Pakistani agents are using the Himalayan kingdom for anti-India activities.
“According to the Union Home Ministry these fake notes are smuggled into Nepal from Pakistan … an issue that dominated the home secretary level bilateral talks between India and Nepal on January 16 in Delhi,” he said.
For intelligence and security agencies Bangladesh remains a worrying point from where FICN is pumped into lower Assam ‘surreptitiously and meticulously’.
“The information we have is that both land and riverine routes are used for smuggling in the fake notes. The Bangladeshi agents also help the anti-social elements with printing machines and other gadgets to make FICN,” he said.
Barak Valley in south Assam which share long stretches of border with Bangladesh has been an easy destination for FICN smugglers. (PTI)