The detectives arrested six members of a currency counterfeiting racket raiding an apartment on Badaldi road in Baunia area of Turag in Dhaka yesterday and seized fake notes worth Tk 51 lakh from their possession. They also recovered real currency notes worth Tk 29,800, a laptop, two colour printers, paper and ink used for printing counterfeit notes, and foil papers from the spot.
According to the police, the organized criminal gangs used to print fake notes and sell those ahead of the big festivals such as Eid, Durga Puja, etc. in different cities including capital. This time, this gang was planning to release fake notes of around Tk 4-5 crore targeting the upcoming general elections. This information should be a matter of grave concern to all responsible quarters.
Usually the money flow increases ahead of any election as the candidates spend money in several election-related matters such as poster printing to arrangement of meetings. Sometimes the candidates also give cash to draw voters’ support in favour of them. Now the criminals have chosen the time of election for their fake note business. Newspaper reports mention that respective to the amount of printing and circulating of fake notes Bangladesh now ranks number one and it has already crossed the USA. We must say it’s a matter of shame not pride.
Police said international syndicates are also involved with the local racket regarding the fake note business. The government had planned to enact a law keeping the provisions of fine, up to Tk one crore, and life-term jail if one found guilty of producing and circulating counterfeit currency notes in the country. But it has not yet materialized. Besides, the criminals come out of the jail getting bail due to weak charge-sheets following biased investigation of the police. Almost often police could not produce enough evidence and reliable witnesses before the court to prove their guilt.
We think, the law enforcement agencies should be sincere enough to stop the flow of counterfeit currencies forever. Only crackdown against the criminal gangs will not able to check the criminal offence.
