Fake Rs 2,000 notes show India's economy needed churan, not demonetisation
Amidst rumours of a new Rs 1,000 note about to be introduced into the currency, despite economic affairs secretary Shaktikanta Das tweeting, “No plans to introduce Rs 1,000 notes. Focus is on production and supply of Rs 500 and lower denomination notes," we have a new problem that is as troubling as it is funny.
No plans to introduce ₹1000 notes. Focus is on production and supply of ₹500 and lower denomination notes.
— Shaktikanta Das (@DasShaktikanta) February 22, 2017
According to a Hindustan Times report, a State Bank of India ATM in South Delhi’s Sangam Vihar dispensed fake Rs 2,000 notes that had the words "Children Bank of India" printed on them. Rohit, a customer care executive at a call centre in Chhattarpur, had visited the SBI ATM at around 7:45pm on February 6 to withdraw Rs 8,000, but according to him, all the four notes he withdrew were fake.
The notes, that would seem perfectly normal at first glance, had some glaring and rather funny inconsistencies.
The notes dispensed seem like a work of pranksters, but how it managed to make its way into an ATM is still a mystery. According to the photos in the report, the note had the words “Bharatiya Manoranjan Bank” printed on them instead of “Bharatiya Reserve Bank”. The RBI seal was was replaced with a logo that read “PK”. The note’s serial number was “000000”. It also had the words “Churan Lable” on it instead of the strip with leaf markings.
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| The notes dispensed seem like a work of pranksters, but how it managed to make its way into an ATM is still a mystery. [Photo: Hindustan Times] |
Hence, much like the initial criticism the new Rs 2,000 note received, this fake note was very looks a lot like Monopoly money.
And while cops could not find anyone else who had received currency like that, a police official said, “We sent a sub-inspector to verify the allegations. He withdrew a Rs 2,000 note and that too turned out to be fake”. Soon afterwards, a case of cheating, manufacturing documents resembling currency notes, and using forged or counterfeit notes has been registered under IPC sections 420, 489-b and 489-e. SBI officials too, shall launch an investigation of their own.
From the looks of things, it is obviously not an attempt to inject counterfeit notes into the economy. It appears to be more of an in-your-face prank (though, at the expense of an innocent person). But if one tries to read into the subtleties of the fake note (if there are any), one can easily see this - emblazoning the note with the words "Children Bank of India"- as a mockery of our apex bank that had, during the 50 days of the demonetisation drive, behaved like a petulant child.
More than that, the note's serial number (a bunch of zeroes) is funnily fitting in terms of the government's level of apathy for the poor and the marginalised in their grand schemes to forcefully digitise a country that has bigger fish to fry.
For a drive that was taken up to weed out black money and fake currency (although the goalposts shifted to Digital India pretty soon), demonetisation has not managed to stop either. So, the next time, you are withdrawing money from an ATM, be very careful about checking the notes that are dispensed. Here’s a helpful guide.