Joint Task Force of Bangladesh-India has failed to make any headway to bring the fake currency makers to book over the last three years. In its latest meeting on December 17, the task force agreed in similar manner on stemming circulation of fake currency.
The three-day conference, held at Police headquarters (PHQs) in Dhaka, emphasized on increasing cooperation between the two close neighboring countries to check flow of fake currency.
Intelligence failures and connivance between law enforcers and notorious intra-country fake currency syndicate are attributed to the failure of making any tangible success in the particular area.
While the fake currency undermines the mainstream economy and helps develop underground economy, police department of either country seems reluctant to address the grave issue.
It was learnt that fake currency makers of Bangladesh and India maintain a good understanding between them to exchange currency. Sometimes, fake Bangladeshi Taka being printed in India is smuggled to Bangladesh territory, and vice versa to India, according to police.
Rowshan Ara Begumm, deputy inspector general (crime management) of police led Bangladesh delegation team and Shree Anil Shukla, inspector general of National Investigation Agency (NIA), the Indian side this year.
Over the long three years, both countries failed to list all the fake note producers and distributors, let alone capturing and producing them in the dock for trial.
Soheli Ferdous Assistant Inspector General (Media) of police said: "We could trace and arrest a number of fakers, but many still remain beyond our radar."
In response to a question, she said: "The two countries have made progress in this connection. That is why, another task force meeting was held."
On November 26, Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) arrested a Bangladeshi national Masud Rana, 28, possessing fake Indian currency worth 6.30 lakh from Chouka village at Shibganj upazila in Chapainawabganj.
Fake currency makers were also held from Benapole of Jessore and Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka while they were trying to smuggle fake Bangladeshi notes to India and China in a recent time.
The exact number of the currency smugglers held in Bangladesh could not be known. Soheli Ferdous says it is not possible to say how many of the fakers have so far been arrested and traced.
On the other hand, The Hindustan Times, English daily of India, reported on September 12, saying Bangladesh is emerging as the main source for production and smuggling of fake rupees of 2,000 denomination.
The daily quoted an official data of Border Security Force (BSF). "Earlier, fake currency manufactured in Pakistan and Bangladesh was smuggled through 13 frontiers located in the border states of Jammu, Punjab, Rajasthan, Gujarat, West Bengal, Assam and Meghalaya," it reports.
"The value of fake notes seized by the BSF in the first six months of 2017 is (Rs 32 lakh)," "An official source said that to match the paper used by India to manufacture new Rs 2,000 notes, Bangladeshi syndicates have started using paper smuggled from Saudi Arabia and Malaysia," the English daily report says.
NIA officials told another newspaper of India that smugglers use Malda border to smuggle counterfeit money from Bangladesh.
