Fake currency pumped in from across border

Circulation of fake Indian currency notes with the motive of destabilizing India’s economy has been continuing from across the border, particularly in the Northeast region, admitted the Inspector General of the Border Security force (BSF), Assam-Meghalaya frontier, PK Mishra. From time to time, the BSF manages to seize fake currency notes pumped into the Northeast from Bangladesh and in the year, 2005, the border guarding force seized fake currency notes worth Rs 33,000 and last year such notes worth Rs 43,200 were seized. So far this year, the BSF managed to seize fake currency notes worth Rs 42,400.

On February 27 this year, BSF men posted in Purakhasia apprehended one Bangladeshi national, identified as Billap Sangma of Sherapur area of Bangladesh and seized fake Indian currency notes worth Rs 43,200 from his possession. The consignment consisted of 80 notes of Rs 500 denomination and 32 notes of Rs 100 denomination. The BSF also recovered one calculator from the possession of the Bangladeshi national.

During the year 2006 and up to April 30 this year, the BSF apprehended 950 Bangladeshi nationals in the Assam-Meghalaya frontier. Out of them, 27 were handed over to the Bangladesh Rifles and the rest were handed over to the local police for legal action. Majority of the Bangladeshi nationals handed over to the police, were again received by the BSF after the completion of the legal action against them and were deported to Bangladesh during flag meetings between the BSF and BDR.

The BSF seized smuggled goods worth Rs eight crore in the Assam-Meghalaya frontier in the year 2005 and it increased to Rs 9.70 crore last year. In the first four months of the current year, the value of the seizure of smuggled goods increased to more than Rs four crore. Cattle smuggling is a cause for concern and the recent seizures proved beyond doubt that smuggling of cattle through this area has increased. In 2005, the BSF men seized smuggled cattle worth Rs 12 lakh and it increased to Rs 2.20 crore in 2006 and in the first four months of this year, the BSF managed to seize cattle worth more than Rs 1.35 crore. The BSF IG said that cattle are even brought from the north Indian states to be smuggled out to Bangladesh through the international border in the Northeast region. He admitted that cattle smuggling is affecting Indian economy and expressed the view that the Government can think of legitimizing cattle trade to prevent smuggling and in the process, the Government can also earn huge amount of revenue.

Smuggling out of forest produce is also causing concern as in the year 2005, the BSF managed to seize forest produce worth Rs 2.27 crore from smugglers and in the year 2006, the value of the seizure increased to Rs 2.67 crore. So far this year, the BSF managed to seize smuggled forest produce worth Rs 16.52 lakh. BSF sources said that the forest produce smuggled out of the Northeast region include timber and bamboo and the smugglers mostly use the riverine border to smuggle out forest produce as it is difficult to use the land border to smuggle out huge amounts of timber and bamboo. Sources said that most of the forest produce smuggled out of the region is brought from Meghalaya to the international border and recently a consignment brought from the Phulbari area was apprehended by the BSF in Dhubri.

The BSF also managed to seize narcotics, mostly ganja worth Rs 76 lakh in 2005, worth Rs 75 lakh last year and worth Rs 25.80 lakh so far this year in Assam-Meghalaya sector.

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