Goemkarponn Desk
PANAJI: Recently, a scam involving counterfeit money notes victimized a cloth merchant in Panaji, Goa. An unidentified girl gave the merchant notes with a denomination of 200 rupees each, purportedly from the Children’s Bank of India, and conned him out of 750 rupees.
These fictitious notes, which looked like actual currency, were a component of a kid’s board game. With a few obvious exceptions, they even resembled the real notes in terms of texture and appearance. ‘Full of fun’ was printed in that area, in place of the customary serial number. Moreover, rather than the authorized ‘Reserve Bank of India,’ the notes read ‘Children’s Bank of India.’
Most likely because of the busy nature of business during the day, the incident was discovered only when the shopkeeper was counting his cash late in the evening. At this precise moment, he realized he had been duped and realized there were counterfeit notes present. Regretfully, there have been other cases of this kind of fraud in the State.
Recall that earlier this month, at a fuel pump in Dhargal, a similar incident occurred wherein a four-wheeler driver tricked the attendant, who then passed on four fictitious notes totaling Rs. 2,000 following a fuel purchase. Notes bearing the label ‘Children Bank of India’ had been discovered by someone.
The first known instance of fake notes was in 2017, when six Andhra Pradeshi tourists were taken into custody by Calangute police in Goa. According to Calangute police sources, the Andhra tourists had successfully manufactured a Rs. 500 fake note.
