A closer examination of the fake currency notes seized on Thursday from Mumbai and Bengaluru has found them to be low-quality counterfeits possibly created with the help of high-definition scanners, an intelligence officer said.
The seized notes were printed on thicker, ordinary paper instead of security paper and lacked key security features such as intaglio printing, raised effect, colour-shift security thread and see-through register included in the new Rs 2,000 notes, the officer said. Also, none of the covert security features were found.
“There is no evidence of any Pakistani link to the Mumbai/Bengaluru seizures. In fact, reports with us suggest that Pakistani fake note manufacturers have not yet managed to replicate the new security features of Rs 2,000 and Rs 500 notes,” the officer said.
“Though these (fake notes) visibly appear original, it is easy to spot them upon a closer look as many of the security features are missing,” the officer said. “In just one case of fake seizures since demonetisation, the fake notes were found to be printed on paper with some kind of Bangladeshi seal. However, this was not the security paper used to print Bangladeshi currency,” the intelligence operative added.
On Thursday, fake Rs 2,000 notes worth Rs 6.98 lakh, were recovered from a man in Mumbra and another Rs 58,000 was seized from Bengaluru.
