NIA team for Bangladesh to probe fake currency case

Bangladesh is being used as a transit point by Pakistan to pump fake currency into India, say officials

A team of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) will go to Bangladesh to investigate the trail of a huge consignment of fake Indian currency notes (FICN) seized at Chittagong port on September 21.

Bangladesh customs had seized Rs. 2.71 crore in FICN from a container when it arrived at the port from UAE. Officials say Bangladesh is being used as a transit point by Pakistan to pump fake currency into India.

The NIA team will also probe the recovery of Rs. 1.28 crore in FICN from a Bangladeshi national in Dhaka on September 22.

The NIA and the Rapid Action Battalion, the anti-crime and anti-terror unit of Bangladesh, have been working in close coordination ever since the Burdwan module of Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JuMB) was unearthed in West Bengal last year.

»	In 2014, Bangladesh led the list of neighbouring countries from where huge FICN consignment was recovered.
»	The biggest seizure was made at Dhaka airport when customs authorities seized a consignment of Rs.6.40 crore in FICN from the cargo section.
»	India says Pakistan uses Bangladesh as a transit point to pump fake currency notes into India.
»	India and Bangladesh have signed an MoU to share real-time information on FICN.

“We will be sending a team to Bangladesh on October 7 to investigate the seizure of a huge consignment of FICN from Chittagong port. We are told that six persons have been detained for the crime and Bangladesh would give us access to interrogate these men,” said a senior NIA official.

Sadiq’s arrest

The official said India had earlier approached Bangladesh for details about the whereabouts of Sadiq, who was arrested this week in Jharkhand. Sadiq was allegedly the key trainer at the terrorist camp being run by JuMB in Burdwan district unearthed last year. “When we approached our Bangladesh counterparts to get information on Sadiq, they acted swiftly and raided the possible hideouts in Rajshahi district, where he has a house. Though they could not find him there, they were forthcoming in cooperating with us,” added the official.