Sukma (Chhattisgarh): In a major breakthrough, the Sukma Police recovered a huge cache of fake currency notes and equipment used to print them here, a senior police official said on Sunday, June 23, reflecting the devastating implications the counterfeit money could have on the local economy.
The discovery was made by Sukma Police, District Reserve Guard and the CRPF in the forests of Korajguda on June 22. As per police sources, use and circulation of these fake currency in local markets for a long time have high chances of creating a massive economic collapse in the region.
Sukma Superintendent of Police (SP), Kiran G Chavan said they launched the search based on intelligence inputs about Maoists printing counterfeit currency in the forest. He said, "The Naxalites were allegedly using the fake notes in weekly markets in Bastar and duping tribals there.
"They aimed to destabilise the Indian economy through this attempt. For the first time, fake currency notes belonging to Naxalites have been recovered in the state which has been struggling with the menace for more than three decades," Chavan said hailing the operation to be a 'crucial success' in the fight against Naxalites.
"While the rebels managed to flee, security personnel recovered a cache of fake notes in the denominations of ₹ 50,
₹ 100, ₹ 200 and ₹ 500, a coloured printing machine, black and white printer, an inverter machine, 200 bottles of ink, four cartridges of printer machine, nine printer rollers, six wireless sets, its charger and batteries. Several other items, including a gun, a wireless set and a large quantity of explosives, were also seized," an official said.
A senior officer said that the Naxalites have been facing a shortage of money and that is evident with the manner in which they have been printing the fake notes. "The ongoing operations in the interior areas have significantly reduced their funding, prompting them to resort to printing counterfeit currency," he added.
Police and security forces have alerted traders and hawkers, especially those residing in remote areas to check notes before accepting and using them.
"Prima facie it was found that Naxalites were engaged in printing fake notes in huge quantities. Further investigation suggested that in 2022, Naxalites in west Bastar division area gave training of printing fake notes to one or two members of each of each of their area committees," the SP said. Further investigation in this connection is underway, he said.
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