K A L E I D O S C O P E

prime concern counterfeit notes
Real threat from fakes
By Shaurya Karanbir Gurung
Operators of fake Indian currency notes (FICN) are using South East Asian couriers to smuggle it into India. Couriers from Thailand, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam have been apprehended in Nepal and Bangladesh, from where FICN is usually smuggled into India. Seizures have also been made in Thailand, Sri Lanka and Denmark. An Interpol report states that last year alone, 13 countries reported Indian currency entering their area was counterfeit.

last word Dr K Chiranjeevi
Now for a hit at the political box office
By Vibha Sharma
Charisma and panache define the 57-year-old actor-politician Siva Sankara Vara Prasad Konidela, better known by his adopted screen name, Chiranjeevi. The Congress is as eager as it is desperate to play the Chiranjeevi card, hoping his glamour quotient will work well for the party and the Tourism Ministry that he recently took charge of as Minister of State (independent charge).

prime concern counterfeit notes
Real threat from fakes
By Shaurya Karanbir Gurung

Operators of fake Indian currency notes (FICN) are using South East Asian couriers to smuggle it into India. Couriers from Thailand, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam have been apprehended in Nepal and Bangladesh, from where FICN is usually smuggled into India. Seizures have also been made in Thailand, Sri Lanka and Denmark. An Interpol report states that last year alone, 13 countries reported Indian currency entering their area was counterfeit.

Pak conspiracy

Intelligence agencies say Pakistan is the main source and producer of FICN. “The machines that are used to make currency are only available with sovereign states. They can't be bought by a person or a gang,” say sources. “Issuance of legal tender is a sovereign function of a state and any such act, which hampers and compromises this function amounts to directly or indirectly undermining the sovereignty of that country. It also disrupts essential services,” they say.

Traffickers

Photos: Shutterstock

Sources reveal couriers are mainly caught in Nepal and Bangladesh. Last year, a Thai national was arrested in Kathmandu for carrying Rs 45.79 lakh of FICN. Based on the inputs of the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), two Vietnamese nationals were arrested with Rs 94.37 lakh FICN in Kathmandu. A Pakistani national was also apprehended.

In April this year, the Nepalese authorities arrested a Vietnamese and seized FICN worth Rs 98.10 lakh. It was sent by a Thailand-based racketeer, who had received it from a Pakistani operative.

Intelligence agencies are probing if there is a nexus between Pakistan terror outfits and gangs in South East Asian countries. Intelligence officials say FICN operators change flights to enter India. “We screen people coming from Pakistan, Bangladesh, UAE and Nepal. But until recently, we never suspected a person arriving from South East Asian countries,” sources say. About 48 foreign nationals have been caught with FICN in different states from 2009 till June this year. In 2009, 12 Bangladeshis, an Iranian and two Nepalese were arrested. Twelve Bangladeshis, a Malaysian, a Nepalese and two Myanmar nationals were arrested in 2010. Last year, seven persons from Bangladesh, seven from Nepal and one from Oman were apprehended. This year, a Belgium national and a Pakistani have been arrested so far.

In March this year, Bangladesh security agencies arrested a man with FICN worth Rs 10 crore.

The Punjab Police recently seized fake currency worth Rs 1.5 lakh in Rajpura. File photo: JS Virdi

Traditional methods

From Pakistan, FICN is brought to Chittagong and taken to Dhaka. Thereafter, it is taken to Kaliganj, Telkuti, Jamir Pur, all in Bangladesh, and smuggled into Malda district of West Bengal. An alternative route is Keraniganj and Biswanathpur, from where it is trafficked into West Bengal's Murshidabad district. Rackets also operate from parts of Shillong and Assam. Poor quality currency plates have been recovered from several places in Assam.

Officials of the BSF say cross-border smugglers bring FICN from places where there is no fencing. Couriers are also known to throw the consignment over the fence.

“Counterfeit currency also gets exchanged in local markets near the border,” a BSF official says. Till August this year, the BSF seized FICN worth Rs 15 lakh. It is smuggled into Punjab by couriers and via the railways.

The Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB), which guards borders with Nepal and Bhutan, says seizures are mainly reported from the Indo-Nepal border. In July, the SSB nabbed a resident of Nepal with FICN. In July, the Punjab Police and BSF seized a consignment of heroin and arms in Amritsar. The haul comprised Rs 5-lakh FICN.

Modus operandi

A Filipino was arrested in Nepal last year for carrying FICN worth Rs 1.22 crore, hidden inside baby talcum bottles. In another case, the accused had concealed FICN of the face value of Rs 96.82 lakh in packets of detergent powder, cornflakes and tea cans. Most couriers are unaware of the kingpins. “These are people in need for money. Some are small-time smugglers of electronics goods while the others work at shops owned by racketeers,” sources say.

Terror angle

Several terrorists infiltrating into J&K have been caught with FICN. As per a government committee report, the estimated figure of FICN in 2011 was over Rs 16,000 crore. In November last year, the Delhi Police arrested an Indian Mujahideen terrorist, who was later reportedly murdered by two gangsters. He was apprehended with FICN of the face value of Rs 1.93 lakh. In December last year, two men suspected to be militants of Babbar Khalsa International, were arrested for possessing FICN worth Rs 1 lakh.

David Coleman Headley, alleged member of the Lashkar-e-Taiba, was given FICN for reconnaissance of sites for the 26/11 terrorist attack.

Flooding banks

In 2008, the UP Police seized fake notes from a man, who revealed the involvement of a cashier working at the Dumariaganj branch of a bank. A team of the police and RBI officials examined the currency chest of the bank concerned and found counterfeit notes worth Rs 4.02 crore.

Every year, FICN worth crores is found in banks. From April to June this year, 45 banks and financial institutions reported 84,387 counterfeit currency reports (CCRs). Various offices of the RBI had reported 994 CCRs.

What is being done

A FICN Coordination Group has been set up to share intelligence. The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has been empowered to prosecute offenders. The Terror Funding and Fake Currency Cell was set up in 2010 to probe cases of terror financing. In 2009, the NIA requested the Security Printing and Minting Corporation of India (SPMCIL) to constitute a committee to examine fake notes. The NIA sent samples with the legal tender of Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal and Myanmar. The forensic analysis shows these are similar to the legal tender of Pakistan. In 2008, the RBI set up the High Level Group on Systems and Procedures for Currency Distribution. A Forged Notes Vigilance Cell, at the head office of each bank, compiles the data of fake notes and provides it to the RBI and the Financial Intelligence Unit-India. The RBI has instructed banks to re-issue notes only if the notes have been checked for genuineness.

last word Dr K Chiranjeevi
Now for a hit at the political box office
By Vibha Sharma

Sandeep Joshi

Charisma and panache define the 57-year-old actor-politician Siva Sankara Vara Prasad Konidela, better known by his adopted screen name, Chiranjeevi. The Congress is as eager as it is desperate to play the Chiranjeevi card, hoping his glamour quotient will work well for the party and the Tourism Ministry that he recently took charge of as Minister of State (independent charge).

Waiting to be introduced by the Prime Minister at the beginning of the Winter Session in Parliament, Chiranjeevi managed to draw quite a few glances from onlookers. Dismissed earlier as a failed politician, Chiranjeevi has now broken into the ranks of important Congress leaders from Andhra Pradesh like S Jaipal Reddy, Kishore Chandra Deo, D Purandareswari, Panabaka Lakshmi and MM Pallam Raju.

Though he does not have the fan following of Rajnikanth, Kamal Hasan and Nagarjuna, the Telugu megastar can boast of a certain pan-India appeal, which is going to get enhanced under the tag of Central ministership. The “return gift” of Tourism Ministry may well resuscitate him.

Manipulator, for some

Not everyone is happy at his elevation and new-found political status. “His colleagues from the erstwhile Praja Rajyam Party (PRP) are feeling cheated. Chiranjeevi brokered a deal with the Congress for a Central post for himself and Cabinet berths for C Ramachandriah and G Srinivas Rao in the state Assembly. His brother, megastar Pavan Kalyan, who rallied behind him in 2009, parted ways with him soon after his decision to merge with the Congress. Kapus, the community he belongs to, is seeking reservation in jobs. They are also feeling alienated as the general sentiment is that Chiranjeevi is not working for their interest, claims Ram Mohan Naidu, his former aide.

In this scenario, the next few months are going to be crucial for Chiranjeevi, politically.

He drew a naught in the 2009 Lok Sabha elections, managing only 18 seats in the 294-member state Assembly. Though his vote share was good - 18 per cent and 18 seats against Congress' 33 per cent and 154 seats - his dream of emulating tinsel world demigod NT Ramarao was shattered when he lost Palacole seat from native West Godavari district.

He had won the Tirupati seat, Rayalaseema, with a moderate margin. “Chiranjeevi could not instil confidence among the people. They did not believe he could deliver,” says Naidu. The Chiranjeevi camp, however, blames non-Congress affiliation of the regional media for the debacle.

Political necessity

His 2011 deal with the Congress is his chance to prove himself, even though detractors claim he can, at best, only be a crowd-puller. For the Congress, struggling against anti-incumbency and desperate for a face to counter the challenge of Jaganmohan Reddy, Chiranjeevi is a political necessity. The party is hoping he will get the crowds when it tests the electoral waters without the charismatic advantage of Jagan's father, YS Rajasekhar Reddy.

Chiranjeevi can handle the Tourism Ministry well despite his limited political exposure. It is a role tailor-made for him to help recover his respect in Andhra Pradesh. His glamour quotient can help sell the “Incredible India” story to the world. The Prime Minister has already authorised him to be the brand ambassador for his ministry, so he doesn't need anybody else to market the flagship programme of the ministry.

Reeling out facts and figures, Chiranjeevi promises to realise “full capacity of Indian tourism industry” and remove “bottlenecks” impeding growth. “India has everything from mountains to backwaters to monuments, but we are not making full use of them. India receives only 0.65 per cent of tourist arrivals in the world. It would be a big achievement if we take it up to 1 per cent. It would also generate employment for 2.5 crore people and increase the contribution of the sector to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the country from the current 6.5 per cent to 10 per cent,” he says.

“Easy access for shooting films in public places will bring India free publicity. But shooting here is difficult and more expensive than other countries. There are a number of regulations. I will talk to other ministers and try to ease the rules,” he says.

Luck by chance

His journey from Mogalturu, a small village in coastal Andhra, to superstardom in Hyderabad and now an important post in New Delhi, is the stuff dreams are made of. Films and politics, the key aspects in Chiranjeevi's life, have some common threads - there's cut-throat competition, resistance to newcomers and family ties are given preference. Credit it to luck, hard work or sheer talent, Chiranjeevi, son of an excise constable, has managed to stay afloat in both. “It's because of God's grace, blessings of elders and a lot of hard work,” he says.

Starting with cameos and anti-hero parts, he went on to become one of the highest paid actors down South.

Several allegations were levelled against him during the 2009 elections. He was accused of selling party ticket, developing a coterie comprising actor-brothers Nagababu and Pavan Kalyan and brother-in-law Allu Aravind, and being intolerant of other castes (he resisted his daughter's out-of-caste marriage). But the gentleman that he is, he continues to generate goodwill.

Simple soul

Chiranjeevi is open to good scripts that would go with his stature as Central minister and carry a strong social message. “He will have to take permission from the party high command,” says political analyst and aide PT Vikram.

Detractors say he has weight issues and often disappears to health farms in Kerala. Friends call him a simple soul, someone who has struggled to survive in a world dominated by money, power and fame. Even though he is a hit with women, he has never been romantically linked to any of his heroines.

Chiranjeevi's political future now depends on what he brings on the Congress plate in 2014. If he fails, his stint as the Minister of State for Tourism could be his swan song, something he will reminisce with friends while enjoying a drink.