Though it is suspected that fake currency notes are being circulated by a network of organised foreign funded criminals in Uttarakhand, the Srinagar Police have failed to solve the case of a woman trying to deposit fake currency notes in the State Bank of India branch at Srinagar in the district about five months ago.
Almost five months have passed since the incident but the police have not yet been able to apprehend the culprit. The police was hoping to find clues from the CCTV camera footage of the bank, but could not get it because the camera was not in working order on the day of the incident. It is believed that gangs are active in both the Garhwal and Kumaon regions trying to circulate fake currency notes in the State.
The police have been lethargic in such a sensitive matter, while this should be taken as challenge. It is believed that fake currency notes are being circulated across the State but few cases are being reported to the police. On September 11, 2013, at the State Bank of India, Srinagar Garhwal branch near the GMVN Tourist Rest House, one unidentified woman came with 26 notes of `500 denomination to deposit in the bank.
On suspicion the employee of the bank had asked her to write down her phone number on the deposit form, but the woman had escaped from the bank leaving the fake currency notes behind. Based on the FIR lodged by the branch manager Ramesh Kumar Gupta on the same day, the police registered a case against the unknown woman under section 489(B) of the IPC and began investigation. However, it has yet to make any breakthrough in the case.
Pauri Superintendent of Police Vimla Gunjyal told The Pioneer that printing or circulating fake currency is serious offence and the police are making efforts to solve the case but the State Bank of India, Srinagar branch has not provided the CCTV footage of the day in question.
The bank officer told the police that the hard disc storing the CCTV footage was not operating and that the bank had asked for a technician while now it is being said that the CCTV was not functioning on the day in question.
The SHO Srinagar Thana said that it is difficult to trace out the culprit involved in the fake currency case due to non-availability of CCTV footage.
Sources state that Pakistan’s Inter Services Intelligence is suspected of fuelling this racket and pumping in fake currency notes into Uttarakhand through Nepal. Apart from fake currency notes, the State’s border with Nepal is also notorious for smuggling of wildlife commodities, narcotics and other contraband but the authorities in Uttarakhand have not yet been able to strengthen security to the desired level along the border.