Forged Tk 1000 notes appear in market

A network of counterfeiting currency notes of high denominations is active across the country and has clandestinely circulated Tk 1000 forged notes in the market since its introduction in September last year causing serious concern in banking circles and among businessmen and the public.
Bangladesh Bank has collected as many as fifty one thousand taka denomination notes in last four months along with many more notes of Tk 500 and Tk100 denomination.
Intelligence and central bank sources believe that without the connivance of people involved in the production of Tk 1000 currency notes, it is well neigh impossible to forge it.
Bangladesh Bank has requested the government to interrogate the local agent of a German company, which prints Tk 1000 notes, for identifying the network of counterfeit note makers in the country.
The central bank made the request after getting intelligence reports about counterfeit notes of  Tk 1000 denomination. According to these reports, a section of dishonest staff of the local agent is involved in the network of counterfeit currencies, sources said.
Members of the counterfeit network are producing fake notes of Tk 1000 and distributing across the country  through their  agents, the sources added.
Md Shafiuddin, joint director of Bangladesh Bank, yesterday told The Independent that the members of the network could not have produced fake notes of Tk 1000 denomination if they did  not have access to the special security paper used to produce the high value currency notes. And the only source is the concerned agent.
“The local agent of the currency production company of Germany has furnished a guarantee to  Bangladesh Bank that it is not possible to fake the Tk 1000 note at any time.  But, many fake notes have been recovered in the last few months following its introduction,” he said.
“The concerned agencies should investigate the matter properly in the interest of the people of the country,” he added.
Md Shafiuddin also told this reporter that several teams of Bangladesh Bank have recovered huge amounts of fake notes of Tk 100 and 500 denominations from different financial institutions, including some branches of private banks  in last six months.
He also said that the security personnel recovered huge amount of fake local and foreign currencies from different moneychangers in the course of their drives against fake currency notes during  the last five years.
Sources in the law enforcement agencies said that the rapid action battalion (RAB), NSI and special branch (SB) of police are trying to arrest the members of the networks of counterfeit notes.
Police headquarters have asked the superintendents of police (SPs) to form several units in  each district across the country for preparing profiles of the suspected members of the network.
Thirteen units have already been formed in 13 districts  of the country. 
According to  sources in the Bangladesh Bank, a total of 3,721 pieces of counterfeit notes have been deposited with the bank so far.
 
Courtesy of The Independent