In the past one and a half months, an unsettling issue has surfaced in Prayagraj. A total of 16 fake notes, each of 2,000 rupees, amounting to 32,000 rupees, have been detected across three government banks. These counterfeit notes were sent on three separate occasions to the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) treasury in Kanpur. It was only after careful verification at the RBI that the notes were identified as fake. Following this discovery, the RBI officials lodged a First Information Report (FIR) against unknown individuals at the Khuldabad police station on a Saturday.
The situation escalated further when, on a Sunday, a case emerged from Bank of Baroda in Khuldabad, where fake currency worth 10,000 rupees was found. The Reserve Bank officer, IPS Gehlot, immediately took action by filing an FIR at the Civil Lines police station against unknown persons. In the official complaint submitted to the police, it was revealed that back in February 2024, five counterfeit 2,000-rupee notes, totaling 10,000 rupees, were discovered in the Bank of Baroda’s treasury.
Just ten days prior to this incident, IPS Gehlot had reported a similar case at the Civil Lines police station involving Indian Bank. In this case, fake currency worth 12,000 rupees was discovered. The complaint detailed that the counterfeit notes were found in the amount sent by Indian Bank, Civil Lines Prayagraj, to the treasury in March 2024. Specifically, six notes of 2,000 rupees each were found to be fake. Consequently, the Civil Lines Police registered a case and initiated an investigation. However, despite the seriousness of the issue, the police investigation has yet to make significant progress.
Adding to the growing concern, about 20 days ago, IPS Gehlot lodged another report at the Colonelganj police station. This report was about the discovery of five fake 2,000-rupee notes, totaling 10,000 rupees, in the State Bank of India (SBI). The complaint stated that the counterfeit notes were identified in the amount that SBI had deposited with the Reserve Bank at that time.
The scale of the issue has prompted RBI officials to take stringent measures. They have recommended that these counterfeit notes be sent for detailed examination to the General Manager of the Bank Note Press in Dewas, Madhya Pradesh, and to the General Manager of the Currency Note Press in Nashik, Maharashtra. Additionally, these notes are to be analyzed at the Security Printing Press and Forensic Science Laboratories to gain further insights.
Inspector Ram Asare from the Civil Lines police station confirmed that an official report has been filed by the RBI in connection with the fake notes. He noted that counterfeit currency has indeed been found in the notes sent to the RBI by these banks. A case has been registered, and the investigation is actively underway. As part of this investigation, the CCTV footage from the banks involved will be thoroughly examined to identify the culprits.
This series of events highlights a growing concern regarding the circulation of fake currency in the region. The involvement of multiple banks and the significant value of the counterfeit notes emphasize the need for heightened vigilance and more robust security measures in financial institutions. As the investigation continues, the authorities hope to trace the source of these counterfeit notes and bring those responsible to justice.
