Post notes ban, BEST gets fake notes

The Brihanmumbai Electricity Supply and Transport (BEST) Undertaking received a maximum number of fake notes — including Rs 1,000 and Rs 500 denominations — in November 2016 when demonetisation was announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, data shows.

According to figures accessed by DNA, BEST received fake notes worth Rs 206,550 in the financial year ending March 2017 as part of revenue of Rs 1,195 crore from selling bus tickets and season passes; the latter accounted for Rs 28,050 of the total fake currency.

In November 2016, BEST received 39 fake notes of Rs 1,000, 37 of Rs 500, and about 300 of Rs 100 denomination.

"This was when demonetisation was announced. There was no way of identifying the fake ones and so such a huge number was accumulated," a BEST official said, on condition of anonymity.

However, those numbers fell soon — only 13 units of Rs 500 and two of Rs 100 were received in December 2016. Since January 2017, the BEST received only Rs 400 in fake currency.