Thai link to Bengal counterfeit racket

KOLKATA: After Bangladesh, the counterfeit currency racket appears to have found base in Thailand.

The West Bengal police’s CID says it has definite clues that the centre of the fake currency network is slowly moving to Thailand.

It says it got this information after interrogating Md Javed, recently arrested from Kolkata’s international airport with counterfeit Indian currency worth Rs10 lakh. A resident of Ahmedabad, he was arrested by CID sleuths on his return from Bangkok.

CID sources told DNA that Javed confessed to being the main carrier of counterfeit currency from Thailand. “He also confessed that he used to frequently visit Bangkok in the garb of conducting his official and legal trade of textiles and readymade garments and while returning to India bring back counterfeit currency consignments,” a CID official said.

Javed also confessed that prior to his arrest, he had brought in counterfeit currencies worth few crores of rupees from Bangkok in five to six rounds.

Last week, police busted one the biggest Kolkata-based international counterfeit currency racket involving people from Bengal, Bangladesh and Gujarat.

The city police unearthed the racket on the basis of a tip-off from the Gujarat police, said deputy commissioner (detective department), Z Shamim.
r_sumanta@dnaindia.net