While political parties are readying to slug it out in the crucial Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, the country’s intelligence and security agencies too are feeling the heat. They have got specific information that operatives in Nepal backed by Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence Agency are viewing the UP polls as an opportunity to pump in large amounts of fake Indian currency notes into this country.
The intelligence agencies have identified an ISI officer, Aslam Chaudhary, who is said to be the mastermind behind the fake currency racket being operated from Karachi. It is said the ISI is spending `39 to print each high-quality `1,000 note.
The alert sounded within the Indian security establishment is at an all-time high following the busting of an international racket in smuggling counterfeit currency by the National Investigation Agency. Ongoing investigations by Central agencies led to the recovery of `2.26 crores from New Delhi on Thursday.
This is said to be one of the biggest fake currency seizures in recent times. This consignment also came via Nepal.
What is causing concern to investigators is that another consignment is also said to have entered the national capital, which is now missing.
The possibility of the money being routed to Uttar Pradesh is not being ruled out.