Centre issues alert over high-quality fake Rs 500 notes; Highlights key identifier
New Delhi: The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has issued a high-priority alert to financial regulatory bodies, enforcement agencies, and banks dealing in cash, following intelligence reports of “high-quality” counterfeit Rs 500 notes entering circulation.
The alert, as cited by The New Indian Express, highlights a key identifier between the fake and genuine notes— a subtle spelling error in the fake currency. Instead of “RESERVE BANK OF INDIA,” the counterfeit notes bear the misspelled phrase “RSERVE BANK OF INDIA”.
Despite the near-perfect resemblance in print quality and design to genuine notes, this minor typographical flaw is being described by officials as “very subtle” and potentially easy to overlook. Institutions that handle large volumes of currency — such as banks, the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU), Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), National Investigation Agency (NIA), and the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) — have been put on high alert.
Institutions handling currency have been asked to remain on high alert, as intelligence reports suggest that counterfeit notes may have already entered circulation, TNIE quoted officials as saying. They added that an image of the suspected counterfeit currency has also been circulated to aid identification.
The government has urged the general public to remain vigilant and report any suspicious currency to authorities immediately.
When asked about the possible volume of counterfeit notes that may have entered the Indian market, a senior investigative official noted that no agency can accurately assess the figure, as data is compiled from diverse sources, including notes submitted by citizens to banks. However, he added, the actual number may far exceed reported statistics.
In a recent response in Parliament, the government outlined the steps taken to combat the spread of fake currency. These include stringent legal provisions under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 (BNS) and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967, as well as the formation of the National Investigation Agency (NIA), the FICN Coordination Group (FCORD), and the Terror Funding and Fake Currency (TFFC) Cell.
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J-K CM announces ex-gratia of Rs 10 lakh each for kin of Pak shelling victims
Jammu, May 10 (PTI): Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Saturday announced an ex-gratia of Rs 10 lakh each for the next of kin of those who lost their lives in Pakistani shelling in the Union Territory.
An additional district development commissioner and 19 villagers were killed in Poonch, Rajouri, Jammu and Baramulla sectors in the past four days after Indian armed forces struck nine terrorist infrastructure targets across the border on May 7 in retaliation to last month’s Pahalgam terror attack.
While 12 civilians were killed in Poonch on Wednesday, two others were killed in Uri and Poonch on Friday. Another five civilians, including a senior government officer, lost their lives in Pakistani shelling Saturday morning.
"Deeply pained by the loss of innocent lives due to recent shelling from Pakistan. My Government is taking every possible measure to minimise the hardship of our people," the chief minister said in a post on X.
The post, shared by the office of the chief minister, said while no compensation can ever replace a loved one or heal the trauma caused to the family, as a gesture of support and solidarity, ex-gratia relief of Rs 10 lakh will be provided to families of all who have deceased.
"We stand with every affected family in this hour of grief," the chief minister said.
