Forged currency syndicates have targeted the cattle markets across the country ahead of the Eid-ul-Azha like the previous years. The fear is not unfounded if past experiences are taken into consideration, according to sources.
In the capital and other divisional cities forged currency syndicates have planned to circulate counterfeit notes in the cattle market, said law enforcement officials.
The syndicates engaged in currency forgery are active again trying to make a quick buck before Eid-ul-Azha. The syndicates are not only printing forged currency notes in bulk but also using dishonest bank officials and money changers to push these counterfeit notes into circulation.
Following arrests of several members of such syndicates from different districts in the last few months, law enforcers claimed to have learned about these illegal schemes.
Fake note makers are up and spreading crores of counterfeit bank notes across the country ahead of the upcoming Eid ul-Azha.
According to sources, the demand for counterfeit money has increased ahead of Eid as retailers are able to exchange counterfeit money easily.
Fake note makers are found adopting new techniques to make such notes avoiding detection, according to law enforcers.
Every time law enforcers manage to nab some fake note traders, the real culprits slip through the net and remain at large. Law enforcers also came to know that the arrested fake note makers return to their illegal activities after securing bail of the court.
Members of Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) on Monday have detained two persons along with fake currencies of Tk 2,000 from Ashulia, on the outskirts of Dhaka.
The detained persons are Md Jasim, 35, and Md Ala Uddin Hossain Hawlader, 34, residents of Jhalakathi district.
RAB-4 official Lt Col Rakib Mahmud Khan said acting on a tip-off, the elite force raided Gazirchat area under Ashulia Police Station on Sunday evening and nabbed the two operatives of a syndicate of supplying fake currency.
The RAB men also recovered seven mobile phone sets and Tk 9,480 in cash from their possessions.
Detective Branch (DB) of police arrested three persons on May 2 in connection with note forgery from Kamrangichar area of Dhaka.
Of the arrested, Imam Hossain and Md Pias completed their diploma from the Govt Polytechnic College in Barishal. One of them used to work as a network engineer and another as an engineer at a textile mills.
They joined hands with the leader of a note forgery gang, Jiban Hossain, to earn some easy money. Jiban used to pay each Tk 22,000 per month apparently. Police found counterfeit money from under the bed, under the mattress, hidden inside clothes in the closet, and seized around Tk 46 lakh worth of fake notes and counterfeit money-making materials, he said. The stockpiled equipment was enough to make another Tk 1.5 crore worth of fake notes, said police.
A high official of Detective Branch (DB) of police told the Daily Observer that counterfeit note syndicate members used to sell Tk 1 lakh worth of counterfeit notes for only Tk 10,000 to Tk 12,000 but are now selling the same for Tk 35,000 to Tk 40,000. "We have already increased vigilance to detect their [the syndicates'] hideouts." he added.
