Forensic analysis nails Pakistan’s role in printing fake Indian notes

www.mangaloretoday.com

Mumbai, Dec 26, 2013 (IBN Live): The influx of fake currency into India is being seen as one of the biggest threats to the country’s economic stability. Over the years India has accused Pakistan of aiding the fake currency racket and now a comprehensive forensic analysis of fake currency samples collected from across the country has established its role.

An estimated 1,000 crore worth of fake currency notes are circulating in the Indian financial system. It is being called the new face of terror aimed to destabilise India’s economy. CNN-IBN has now accessed a confidential forensic analysis report that unmasks Pakistan’s role like never before.

In 2009 the Ministry of Home Affairs formed a high level secret panel for a comprehensive analysis of the fake currency notes recovered from across the country. What followed was a year-long investigation in collaboration with the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and the intelligence agencies.

Samples of fake currency notes were collected from Maharashtra, Goa, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Karnataka and Jammu & Kashmir. The fake notes were forensically compared with the genuine ones from Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh.

Shockingly, the fake notes were almost 90 per cent similar to the genuine ones and impossible to spot with a naked eye. Some of the fake notes also display sophisticated features like security thread, watermarks, latent image among others.

Some of the parameters used for the analysis are: paper, ink, printing process, special features, thickness of the paper and colour registration.

The panel concluded by saying: "During examination of samples of FICN and the legal tender of Pakistan, most of the pivotal parameters of the paper like GSM of the paper, wax pick quotient, poly vinyle alcohol etc were found matching with the legal tender of Pakistan. The similarity in the furnish used i:e 100 per cent rag content, PH of the paper and surface sizing clearly indicates that a similar manufacturing process has been adopted in case of the FICN samples and the legal tender of Pakistan."

Alarmed by the recovery of fake currency worth over Rs 100 crore in the last three years alone, the government amended the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act while only foot soldiers are caught, intelligence agencies believe fake currency is increasingly being used to fund terror in India.