A new spin on money laundering

It has been over two months since Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the demonetization of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes. In a bid to curb black money that had been affecting India for several years, PM Modi said the Reserve Bank of India would introduce a new Rs 500 note and a Rs 2,000 note.

While the notes have been in circulation for a while now, they have had their fair share of problems. And when we talk about these issues, we’re not referring to the inability to get change when you hand over a Rs 2,000 note at your local kirana store. Twitter user Ravi Handa shared a picture of what happens to a Rs 500 note if you accidentally put it in the washing machine. Let’s face it: In the past, we have forgotten to empty our pockets and a Rs 500 note inevitably lands up in the washing machine, coming out crisp and dry — as good as new. However, in the new note in the new note, as Handa demonstrated in the tweet. In the new note, the ink fades and the note is practically useless.

Check your pockets before giving your clothes for a wash.
The new notes won't survive a round in the washing machine. pic.twitter.com/h7DaLX5ge2

— Ravi Handa (@ravihanda) January 18, 2017

After Handa posted his tweet, he received a number of retweets with people showing him what happened to their notes when they accidentally washed it.

This isn’t the first time that there have been issues with the new currency notes. Earlier in January, farmers in Madhya Pradesh got Rs 2,000 notes that did not have the image of Mahatma Gandhi on them! And now it seems these notes may not survive in the ‘testing waters’ either. While we would advise you to check your pockets before putting your clothes in the dryer, we also suggest that it’s not smart to believe everything you see on the Internet.

@ravihanda Original here: https://t.co/WNN9HuAMXo

— Ravi Handa (@ravihanda) January 18, 2017

TWITTER REACTION

@ravihanda @calamur it's a feature. It prevents money laundry-ing. *sorry*.

— Irshad Daftari (@daftari) January 18, 2017

@ravihanda Anti national washing machine

— SG (@shrinivassg) January 18, 2017

@ravihanda @subbureddyy What he has now is a 'clean chit'

— Tushar (@wandur_lust) January 18, 2017

@ankit9doshi @ravihanda Waiting for next monsoon, to see if any new notes survives. What ever survives is black money ..

— Govind Raju (@GovindRaju9) January 19, 2017