The Border Security Force (BSF) has revealed that Malda district in West Bengal has become the hub of smuggling of fake currency notes.

Addressing mediapersons on Sunday in Kolkata, B D Sharma, Additional Director General (East), BSF said Kaliachak village in Malda district in particular has become the nerve centre of illicit fake currency trade.

He also said that the modus operandi of the smugglers too have changed drastically as they now use water pipes of the irrigation department to smuggle the fake notes from Bangladesh to India.

He said the issue was raised at the Border Co-ordination Conference held in Dhaka few days ago. During the meeting, both the countries decided to set up a task force to check smuggling of fake currency across the borders.

Interestingly, he said, the circulation of fake currency notes are interlinked with cattle smuggling as fake currency notes are exchanged in a huge quantity for trading cattle.

"Suppose the price of the cattle is Rs 1,000 but in terms of fake currency it is sold across the borders at a higher price of around Rs 1,500," said Sharma.

According to the BSF, the Indian residents illegally staying inside Bangladesh territory and very close to the border are responsible for the cattle smuggling and consequently the fake currency notes. So the BSF has asked the District Magistrates of the bordering districts to identify such residents. As per the BSF, there are around 1,500 such people staying in around 25 villages.

Till now we are unable to control cattle smuggling and as till now 2,397 kilometre of fencing of the border has been completed out of the total 3,424 kilometres, Sharma added.

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