Clinched: NIA traces fake Indian currency to Pakistani mint

In a major breakthrough which could establish Pakistan’s direct involvement in the counterfeit currency racket in India, the National Investigative Agency (NIA) has found that Fake Indian Currency Notes (FICN) circulated in India are manufactured in a state-owned printing facility in Pakistan.
According to NIA sources, investigators sent the seized counterfeit currency notes along with original Pakistani currency notes to the Committee of Experts, constituted by the security printing and minting corporation of India, asking the committee to scrutinise the currency notes and give their findings.
“The findings are startling and clearly indicate that FICN is being printed in a facility which is owned by a sovereign country,” an officer from a central agency said on condition of anonymity.
According to the expert committee report, the initial study revealed certain similar patterns. “Dry offset printing method has been used in printing the FICN and Pakistani currency notes,” the report said. Interestingly, the PH value found on FICN of Rs500 and Rs1,000 denominations was exactly the same as the one found on Pakistani currency.
Another important factor was that the gram per square metre (GSM) on both FICN and Pakistani currency was identical. “GSM is an indicator about the paper’s nature. The almost identical GSM of FICN and Pakistani currency indicates that the source is same for both papers,” the officer said.
The reverse sides of FICN and Pakistani notes were printed on Simultan Dry Offset press. “On both the samples there is presence of poly vinyl alcohol on the surface. This is another aspect in establishing that both the currencies have the same source,” he said.
“Investigations have revealed that paper making process and the printing process of the legal tender of Pakistan and the seized FICN are same. This clearly shows Pakistan’s involvement in printing and smuggling the FICN into India through Dubai, Nepal and Bangladesh.”