ISI using various routes to pump in fake notes

 From using a student to a Nepali politician with links to Dawood Ibrahim, Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) is trying to pump in fake currency into India through several routes like Dubai, Colombo and Bangkok.

This year alone, authorities have seized fake Indian currency with a face value of Rs 12.85 crore abroad. Most of the seizures took place at Dhaka airport, signalling the increased coordination between Indian and Bangladeshi authorities in tackling Pak-sponsored anti-India activities.

At least 18 foreign nationals and an Indian were arrested in 13 cases spread between January and September this year. Of this, nine were Pakistani nationals while one was a Canadian with Pakistan origin, five Nepali and three Bangladeshi nationals besides an Indian.

The highest seizure was at Dhaka airport on April 27 when Armed Police Battalion of Bangladesh intercepted a consignment from cargo section of the airport. The consignment – six bundles with same serial number — was brought from Pakistan in a Qatar Airways cargo flight.

The ISI appeared to have roped in a Nepali politician-cum-businessman Yunus Ansari, an associate of Dawood. Ansari is said to be an old ISI associate and returned to the crime soon after his release from jail recently after serving sentence fo­r a previous fake currency case. He fell into a Nepal Police trap and was apprehended from his house with fake currency having face value of Rs 34 lakh, which was brought to Nepal through Pakistan International Airlines.

In July, Nepal police also arrested a Class IX student Farmullah Ansari with fake currency with a face value of Rs 3.86 lakh. He had told police that one Ramakant Kushwaha gave him the counterfeit notes.

Notorious fake currency supplier Aslam Shera, whose name appears in several counterfeit currency cases, tried to send counterfeit currency of Rs 15 lakh through Sri Lankan Airlines but the carrier was arrested. Shera, who is believed to have close links with ISI, had sent the fake currency following request from his associate Rizwan who is currently in Lankan jail in a heroin smuggling case.

Three Pakistani operators were arrested in Bangkok with fake currency with a face value of Rs 1 lakh in July after Indian agency R&AW shared inputs with Thailand authorities. Mohd Sajjad Noor, Noor Shahid (both Pak nationals) and Mohd Hafiz (Canadian of Pak origin) were apprehended from outside Pakistan embassy in Bangkok.