Forgery near-perfect Investigators suspect Bangladesh Bank links in making fake currencies Gangs involved in making counterfeit currency are so close to perfection that it is almost impossible for the general mass to identify a forged note from the original. These gangs no longer print a particular number on the notes of the same denomination. Investigators concerned suspect that a group of unscrupulous Bangladesh Bank (BB) staff provide the numbers of soon-to-be-released notes to the culprits. The suspicion arose as law enforcers recovered a list of serial numbers of oncoming bank notes from the busted fake note factory last Wednesday. Currency Officer of BB Syed Abu Bakar Siddique, however, brushed aside the allegation saying that it was hard for the note forgery gangs to collect serial numbers from the central bank. Jahirul Islam, who was arrested along with his wife during the raid at the factory in the city's Dakshin Khan, told the interrogators that they could make fake notes so flawless that people having no expertise can hardly recognise those. Rab personnel also recovered phoney money of different denominations worth Tk 2.3 lakh during the raid. "The only way to know whether a note is counterfeit is to sprinkle water on it and then rub it. If it is fake the colour of writings on it might come off," said Jahirul during Rab interrogation. According to the law enforcers the arrests and recoveries made during the last year suggests that a good number of gangs are active in the easy money business. Rab alone launched 54 successful operations arresting 88 people and seizing fake notes with printed value of crores of taka last year. Some of the drives even resulted in recovery of several printing machines, chemicals and other equipment. Earlier, the counterfeit currency makers used to print Tk 500 notes over original bills of Tk 100 after rubbing off the prints on the notes with chemicals. But the latest busting revealed that the gang members are using a kind of paper available in the market and imprinting serial numbers and watermarks and grafting holographic ribbons using modern technology. The investigators concerned urged more proactive measures from the central bank's Forged Currency Cell so that the gangs cannot adopt the new currency printing technology so fast. "Old currencies should be replaced in every five years so that the gangs involved in making phoney money fall behind and their forged notes become useless," said an investigator concerned wishing anonymity. HOW THE GANGS OPERATE The investigators said each of the gangs has around 50 to 60 men divided into several groups across the country. Each group of four to five members along with its leader operates in busy market places, bus and launch terminals, railway stations and border areas. The team leaders collect a certain amount of fake notes from manufacturers and distribute those to the field workers. A field worker gets a commission of Tk 100 to Tk 120 for blending a forged Tk 500 note successfully in the market. A manufacturer gets Tk 70 to Tk 80 from a fake Tk 500 note while the making cost is only Tk 12 to Tk 15 each. The rest of the profit money goes to the middlemen like the team leaders, said Maj Mohammad Mahbubul Haque of Rab-3, who led in Wednesday's drive. Usually unemployed smart youths are recruited for this clandestine job, he added. The field workers use code names like 091 to be identified in their group. That is why a detained field worker can hardly give names of other operatives or group members. http://www.thedailystar.net/story.php?nid=123830 |
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