With India-Bangladesh coming together, ISI set to get further exposed on fake currency

New Delhi, Jan 17: The National Investigation Agency has begun its probe in coordination with authorities in Bangladesh to unearth the larger conspiracy by Pakistan to pump fake currency into India.

Arpan Saha, the NIA's inspector posted at the Guwahati Branch office is the Chief Investigating Officer.

The probe was ordered last month by the Ministry of Home Affairs under the NIA Act of 2008.

While it was always clear that the ISI was behind pumping fake currency into India, it became even more clearer following the arrest of two fake currency smugglers Fatema Akthar Aapi and her associate Sk Md Taleb. They were arrested by the Bangladesh police in November 2021 and during their questioning they revealed the role being played by the ISI in the racket.

In this context it would be interesting to note how the ISI has over the years used fake currency as a means to destabilise the Indian economy and also use the proceeds from the racket to fund terror acts in India.

Among the many revelations that David Headley linked to the Mumbai 26/11 terror attack made, one was relating to fake currency. He said during his deposition that he had received fake Indian currency from an ISI official Major Iqbal.

Major Iqbal is part of the ISI and he was David Headley's handler during the 26/11 Mumbai attack. This makes it very clear that the Pakistan establishment is directly involved in the circulation of fake currency in India.

Fake Indian currency produced in Pakistan is a major money spinner. There is fake Indian currency to the tune of Rs 1,500 crore that is pumped into India every year. While India has repeatedly said that it is the Pakistan's ISI which masterminds this racket there has always been an obvious denial.

However, what Headley said does blow the lid of the ISI's claims. When Headley visited India several times to carry out a reconnaissance of the targets in Mumbai, he was paid money several times by various persons. He named Sajid Mir, Major Pasha, Tawwahur Rana and also Major Iqbal who had given him money.

In Pakistan it is expected that anyone visiting India has to carry a certain amount of fake Indian currency with them. At times it is the terrorists who bring it in and on other occasions it is the drug mafia.

While circulating fake currency gets the ISI a good amount of money the larger plan is also to disrupt the Indian economy.