Fake currency case: Migrant labourers under scanner

Monday, 24 October 2011: In the view of the recent seizure of fake currency notes of Rs 2,19,000 from 8 Bengalis near Parasala here on Saturday, the inter-state labourers are now under tight police scanner. Police have decided to conduct surprise raids in the labourers’ dwelling places.

Meanwhile the National Investigation Agency (NIA) will take over the fake currency case. Further interrogation revealed that the fake currencies were printed in Pakistan. It is believed that the accused, who are natives of Bengal, have link with the fake currency mafia and other terrorist groups.

The police are also tracing the details of the phone calls made by them. In the view of the incident the inter-state labourers are under police scanner. Counterfeit currencies in the denominations of Rs 1,000, 500 and 100 were seized from those taken into custody.

The incident has jolted the police authorities as it has been confirmed that the currencies, printed either in Pakistan or Bangladesh and routed via Bangladesh and West Bengal, had reached the southern tip through the migrant labour force hailing from Malda.

The racket was busted on a tip-off by a shoe mart owner in Parassala on Friday that two Bengalis had tried to pass two Rs 500 notes as payment for a purchase in the evening, but were turned away. The Parassala police swung into action and nabbed the duo while they were moving on the road and on a thorough frisking recovered Rs 49,000 fake currency from them.

On interrogation, they spilled the beans. The police conducted raids on various lodges in the district and city till the early hours of Saturday and more persons with fake notes were arrested. Neyyatinkara DySP Gopakumaran Nair led the operations.

According to the police, the arrested persons admitted that they were part of a wide-racket with roots across the state and the circulation was in vogue for the past two years. It is also suspected that the illegal activities have the support of a few Keralites.
The currency notes seized from the gang are a match or even superior to original currencies in circulation, it is assessed.

The influx of migrant labour force into the state from other states, especially West Bengal and Bangladeshis posing as Bengalis, has added a bigger dimension to the seizure.