GUWAHATI: The new Rs 2000 denomination currency notes released by the RBI are not even ten days old, but the fake version of the same has apparently already come into circulation.
Thirty-two fake currency notes of Rs 2000 denomination were recovered from the possession of a woman at Samaluguri, Narayanpur in Lakhimpur district of north-eastern Assam on Friday.
Police have seized the fake Rs 2000 currency notes which bore the same serial number and picked up the woman for questioning. The woman claimed that she had been provided these fake currency notes by one Abhijit Das whom she had engaged to exchange demonetised currency notes in the bank.
The woman claimed that Abhijit Das whom she met at a bank recently, had offered her his service to exchange Rs 65,000 in demonetised currency notes she was carrying to the bank.
Abhijit Das came to her residence on Thursday night and gave her Rs 65,000 ‘exchanged notes’ – 32 notes of Rs 2000 denominations and two notes of Rs 500 denomination. The woman had engaged Abhijit Das on an earlier occasion.
All the thirty two Rs 2000 denomination notes were declared fake by local bank officials on Friday.
The police is now on the lookout for the key accused Abhijit Das.
Police suspected that the fake Rs 2000 notes were coloured photo copies of an original note as the fake notes bore same serial number.
The miscreants apparently used a sophisticated printer to make the fake notes.