Fake currency: Racket thrives in Malda

Statesman News Service

MALDA, Sept. 14: Gujarat police seemed to have failed to bust a fake currency racket in Malda as expected and finally returned with the accused Nazrul Shiekh who had been arrested in Gujarat on charge of fake currency circulation.Gujarat police arrested Nazrul on 6 September and following interrogation they came to know that the Malda resident had got a huge amount of fake currency from a resident of Achintala under Kaliachak police station. Nazrul, a day labourer in Gujarat, allegedly collected 130 pieces of five hundred rupee fake note from an agent in Kaliachak.According to the Malda police, following the address collected from Nazrul the team from Gujarat police raided several houses. “But the racketeers were absconding during operation,” the police sources said.It is common knowledge that several places under Kaliachak police station bordering Bangladesh have become hubs of fake currency circulation. Local people including women are allegedly involved in this seemingly wide spread racket.In the last few years this activity has become widespread. Earlier police from Maharashtra, Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh came to Kaliachak area to unearth the origin of the fake currency circulation here. A few days ago the district police and border security force held a meeting to curb the fake currency menace along the border in Kaliachak areas.