Counterfeit banknotes have started floating in different shopping malls, markets, bus terminals, railway stations and launch terminals in the capital and elsewhere the country ahead of the Eid-ul-Fitr. Organised gangs are spreading counterfeit currency notes in the market taking advantage of the shopping spree ahead of the Eid, causing worries among economists, businessmen and the commoners as we
ll. According to intelligence sources, some 20-25 gangs of women, alongside their male counterparts, are active in spreading fake currency notes in the capital ahead of the Eid celebration. The gangs are also getting involved in violent crimes, sources added. The counterfeiters are using women to supply fake notes, dodging the eyes of the law-enforcers. Many young women have got involved in this heinous crime, according to intelligence sources. The gangsters are using these young women for marketing fake banknotes in a bid to avoid suspicion by the law enforcers. Meanwhile, a number of special teams of Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) and Detective Branch (DB) have already been deployed to prevent circulation of fake currency notes ahead of Eid, sources said. “Spread of forged currency notes in the capital and in other parts of the country is not only affecting the people and traders, it will also have a crippling impact on the economy if effective steps are not taken in time to check the crime,” said economists and businessmen. ‘Organised gangs have become active before Eid in circulating fake banknotes in the market, which is immediately affecting businessmen and the commoners,’ traders said. Bangladesh shop owners’ association organising secretary Shah Alam Khandaker said the currency forgers become active in the city before the Eid and spread counterfeit banknotes in the market every year. “Shoppers swarm the markets before the Eid festival, when both buyers and traders have little time to check every banknote and taking advantage of the rush, organised gangs of frauds mix fake currencies with genuine banknotes to spread those in the market,” he said. He also said the law enforcers often arrest many counterfeiters, but in most of the cases, the criminals secure bail and get back to the same crime. The police said they had stepped up vigilance ahead of the Eid to check spread of counterfeit currency notes in the market. A huge number of law enforcers—both uniform and plain-clothe have been deployed in different shopping malls, marketplaces in the capital and elsewhere the country to ensure safe cash transactions during the peak-sale periods just ahead of the Eid celebration. “Members of the deployed teams have been equipped with fake note detector machines for prompt actions to prevent circulation of counterfeit notes,” said Monirul Islam, Joint commissioner of the Detective Branch (DB), Dhaka metropolitan Police (DMP). The detective officer also said from the beginning of the holy month of Ramadan, law enforcers so far arrested about one dozen suspected counterfeit gangs in the capital. “The striking teams also recovered fake currencies of Tk 4,17,000 from their possession,” he added. “Primarily, we have introduced different sizes and colours for different denominations of banknotes so that fake notes can’t dodge the common people. We are also keeping close eyes on the situation constantly,” an official concerned said. “For netting the fake notes floating in the markets, special teams of the Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) and the Detective Branch (DB) of police are now carrying out drives against the counterfeiters” Masudur Rahman, a deputy commissioner (media) of the DMP said.
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