Fake Indian Currency Seized in Chhattisgarh

• 24 Jun 2024

Why in News?

Recently, Security forces found a large stash of Counterfeit Indian currency belonging to Naxalites and equipment for printing them in Sukma district of Chhattisgarh.

Key Points

• The police claim that Naxalites have been using fake currency notes in the weekly markets of remote areas in Bastar region for a while, deceiving innocent tribal people.
  • During a site search, security personnel found fake currency in denominations of Rs 50, Rs 100, Rs 200, and Rs 500 along with a colored printing machine, a black and white printer, an inverter machine, 200 bottles of ink, four printer cartridges, nine printer rollers, and six wireless sets with chargers and batteries.
• Personnel belonging to the Central Reserve Police Force's 50th battalion, District Reserve Guard (DRG), Bastar Fighters and district force were involved in the operation.

Counterfeit Money

• Counterfeiting, manufacture of false money for gain, a kind of forgery in that something is copied so as to defraud by passing it for the original or genuine article.
• Because of the value conferred on money and the high level of technical skill required to imitate it, counterfeiting is singled out from other acts of forgery and is treated as a separate crime under section 489A of the Indian Penal Code.
• Counterfeiting is the oldest technique used by fraudsters to cheat unsuspecting individuals of their money.

Central Reserve Police Force

• Originally constituted as the Crown Representative Police in 1939, it is one of the oldest Central paramilitary forces.
• After Independence, with the enactment of the CRPF Act on December 28, 1949, it transformed into the Central Reserve Police Force.
• It is one of the premier Central Armed Police Forces of India (under the Ministry of Home Affairs) for internal security.

District Reserve Guard (DRG)

• The District Reserve Guard (DRG) is a specialized police unit in Chhattisgarh, established in 2008 to combat Maoist violence.
• It consists of specially trained personnel operating in affected districts, conducting anti-Maoist operations, search and seizure, and gathering intelligence.
• The DRG collaborates with other security forces, like the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), to counter the Maoist insurgency.