India News : Fake Indian currency notes allegedly printed in Pakistan are being pushed into India through Nepal, with Bihar emerging as a major distribution hub. Investigating agencies say the counterfeit notes—mostly in lower denominations—are of high-grade quality, making them difficult to detect during routine transactions.
According to officials, Pakistan-based handlers are using Nepalese intermediaries and networks of smugglers in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh to move consignments across the border. The superior print and paper quality of these notes has enabled their easy circulation in local markets.
Media reports say the Bihar STF cracked part of the network on January 30 after arresting two alleged traffickers from the Hariya police station area in Motihari. The accused—one from Nepal’s Bagmati Province and another from Bara district—were found with counterfeit Indian notes worth ₹18,500. Subsequent interrogation led to more arrests in Sitamarhi (Majorganj) and Madhubani, where police also recovered special paper used for printing fake currency.
Earlier, on January 29, a joint operation by the Bihar STF and the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) resulted in the arrest of two local smugglers in Harlakhi, Madhubani, with ₹34,600 in fake notes (including 173 notes of ₹200). Officials said the notes were so well-printed that distinguishing them from genuine currency was challenging.
₹14 lakh seized near no-man’s land
In another major seizure, the SSB recovered ₹14 lakh worth of counterfeit Indian currency from the no-man’s land area in Madhubani, detaining two suspects. With repeated inputs of fake currency inflow via the Nepal border, the Bihar STF has placed police units in Muzaffarpur, Sitamarhi, Motihari, Darbhanga and Madhubani on high alert. The Tirhut Range DIG has also directed heightened vigilance across Vaishali, Muzaffarpur, Sitamarhi and Sheohar.
Investigators seized 13 mobile phones from arrested suspects. Analysis of these devices has reportedly revealed leads pointing to a large cross-border network spanning Nepal, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. The STF has prepared a list of dozens of suspects and launched special operations to dismantle the racket.
