IANS/New Delhi

Gujarat tops the list of five states that are considered the “safest” for circulating counterfeit currency notes - allegedly pushed in by Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) agency - according to the latest data released by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB).
Of the 30,354,604 counterfeit notes seized across the country, 87,47,820 were recovered from Gujarat in 2014.
Chhattisgarh followed close on the heels with the seizure of 7,386,900 fake notes, while Andhra Pradesh, Punjab and Haryana saw recoveries of 5,437,600, 3,249,000 and 1,696,850 counterfeit notes.
Police officers suspect that the ISI is pushing fake notes in India which have a greater resemblance to India’s high denomination Rs1,000 and Rs500 notes. The officers said that they have been noticing for the past few months that differences between genuine and counterfeit notes were reducing and that around five such differences have actually disappeared.
“The paper being used to make the fake notes is now more similar. The stiffness is almost the same. The security thread (in the right half) on fake notes also resembles that on the genuine currency.
“The watermark (the portrait of Mahatma Gandhi in light and shade) has also been nearly matched,” an officer, who did not want to be named, said.
“The identification mark on the left of the note looks quite similar in counterfeit and genuine notes. The optical variable ink also looks similar,” he added.
Of the 30,354,604 counterfeit notes seized across the country, those in the Rs1,000 denomination was the highest at 19,895,000.
The recovery of notes in the Rs500, Rs100 and Rs50 denominations across India was9,490,500; 938,800 and 25,000.
However, the seizure of other fake Indian currency was a mere 5,304 pieces.
The NCRB data said Chhattishgarh is the state from where the highest number of 7,224,000 fake notes of Rs1,000 denomination were recovered.
Gujarat was the second highest with the recovery of 2,441,000 notes of the same denomination, followed by Punjab (3,179,000 notes) and Andhra Pradesh (2,441,000 notes).
Indian intelligence agencies are worried that despite some traditional smuggling routes of Fake Indian Currency Notes (FICN) being neutralised, the flow has not slowed.
The traditional route is the India-Pakistan border and several means are employed, including travel by road.
“All the border areas in India have been facing the problem with the circulation of fake notes trade and the drug trade,” said the officer.
Apart from the road and railway routes, the air route via Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and the United Arab Emirates, as also China and Holland, are being used for smuggling in fake notes.
A bank official said if one gets a fake note, he should immediately approach the nearby police station and register case against the person who gave it to him.
“If a fake currency is withdrawn from any ATM, one should also file an FIR against that bank. The Reserve Bank of India penalises such banks if they are found guilty,” the official said.