The city police claims to have busted a racket in fake currency notes allegedly masterminded by Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence to "destroy" India's economy. Authorities in India frequently blame ISI for anything that goes wrong in the country. Apparently, acting on a tip-off by Mumbai police, Kolkata Police detectives yesterday arrested three persons and seized Rs300,000 in Rs500 denomination counterfeit notes. The three accused two Indians and a Bangladeshi were produced before a magistrate who remanded them in police custody until November 11 to complete investigations into what is being described as an ISI operation.
"Mahmoud, you idiot! You can't pass seven-rupee notes!"
"Sure I can, boss! Already did it this morning! Got a three and a four in change!" | Kolkata detective department chief Peeyush Pandey said that the arrested persons are being closely interrogated to unearth their ISI links but had hardly revealed anything so far. "Although we recovered Rs300,000, we have reasons to believe that the trio have already pumped fake notes totalling Rs500,000 into the money market to subvert Indian economy", said Pandey. Recently, Kolkata High Court acquitted four persons accused by the Indian police of passing defence secrets to ISI. Their arrest in 1999 was cited as proof of the ISI activities in India. But the court's clean chit thoroughly exposed the Indian establishment's ISI phobia. |