Counterfeit notes are normally to be found to be in the larger denominations of Rs. 1,000 and Rs. 500. But, of late, counterfeit notes of even smaller denominations (Rs. 10 and Rs. 50) are said to be in circulation, compounding the woes of the city police. In a way, it is back to the old days when counterfeit currency notes of small denominations of Rs. two and Rs. five were palmed off to gullible people at cinema houses during rush hours.
In the past, the city police have busted several fake Indian currency note (FICN) rackets in the city. In most of these cases, the FICN was of higher denominations and were alleged to have been pumped into the country through the porous Indo-Bangladesh and Indo-Nepal borders. At the time, the police had alleged the involvement of Pakistani State operators. However, it is not clear whether FICN of lower denominations recently being circulated in the city also has its origins from beyond the borders. The city police have yet to ascertain that fact.
Last year, the Reserve Bank of India had suggested that they planned to experiment with plastic polymer currency notes of Rs. 10 denomination to check the FICN menace in the country. However, it has not materialized yet.
People-friendly police
Each time Bhaskar, a police constable at the Suranjan Das Road in C.V. Raman Nagar sported a smile, he knew he would bring a smile to the faces of harassed commuters who have to deal with traffic snarls and jams.
But little did he know that his small gesture would catapult him into social media stardom. ‘Unsung Heroes at the Traffic Signals’ - the initiative of the Traffic Police Department in collaboration with the World Peacekeepers’ Movement and the Bangalore Political Action Committee (B-PAC), has received about 200 calls and messages from citizens who have nominated traffic constables who they feel have gone an extra mile beyond their duty.
Citizens have written to and thanked traffic personnel for manning traffic on roads by weathering rain and storm . Words of appreciation have flowed in for policemen found helping the elderly and those with disabilities to cross the road and to give directions with exact precision.
One of the traffic constables has been nominated for ensuring that he filled potholes with mud and debris to facilitate smooth flow of traffic.
Some youngsters have even gone an extra step by clicking selfies with their favourite traffic policeman and posting it on a social networking site. However, in their zeal, some others have merely posted photographs of traffic police personnel without their names, making it difficult for organisers to lionise these unsung policemen!
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