Behind every fake indian currency note in circulation lies a deeper network — a hidden setup of printing presses, skilled operators, raw material suppliers, and smugglers. Indian police have cracked down on several such networks in recent years, exposing how counterfeit currency operations are embedded in urban backstreets, rural hideouts, and even rented apartments in busy towns.
Here’s a look inside the world of counterfeit note factories, based on real busts and police raids across India.
1. The Setup: Ordinary Locations, Hidden Intent
Most fake note units don’t operate out of abandoned factories or forests — they’re often hidden in plain sight.
- Police raids in cities like Kolkata, Malda, Bengaluru, and Hyderabad have uncovered counterfeit units inside residential flats, garages, cyber cafés, and printing shops.
- These spaces are rented under fake names and used for weeks or months until the operation is shifted.
- Soundproofing, window covers, and inside-only access make detection harder.
Officers involved in multiple busts reveal that many setups mimic small businesses to avoid suspicion.
2. Printing Gear Seized
Raids consistently show a pattern in tools used:
- High-quality digital printers, scanners, and cutters.
- Laminators, UV inks, chemical solutions for simulating watermarks and threads.
- Design files on laptops or pen drives, often password-protected.
- Special paper stock similar in feel and color to real currency.
In one major raid in West Bengal, police found printing setups capable of producing hundreds of ₹500 notes per hour. In another case, a small press was reportedly printing over ₹2 lakh in fake notes daily.
3. The People Behind the Scenes
The operators are not always seasoned criminals. Raids have uncovered:
- Graphic designers, former printing press workers, and even computer teachers using their skills for fast profits.
- Teenagers and young adults, lured by quick cash, often used for printing and distribution.
- Middlemen and smugglers, trained in moving the notes across state borders and handing off the bundles to field-level distributors.
Interrogation reports show that many are unaware of the larger network. They’re hired for a single task: design, print, cut, or deliver.
4. The Manufacturing Process
From police-confiscated notes, here’s the typical process:
- Scan or design template using high-resolution scans of real currency.
- Print notes in batches using digital or offset printers.
- Apply fake security features like UV strips, pseudo watermarks, and fake serials.
- Cut notes manually using precision cutters.
- Age the currency by rubbing, folding, or heat treating to look used.
- Pack and deliver for circulation.
Each setup is capable of producing ₹1–3 lakh in fake notes per day depending on manpower and equipment.
5. Distribution Chain Uncovered
Police often follow the trail from factories to distribution hubs. Some patterns include:
- Couriers carrying bundles on trains or buses, mixed with legal documents or goods.
- Notes pushed into local markets, wholesale trade, and fuel stations, where bulk cash is exchanged quickly.
- Use of hawala routes and small-time agents who insert fake notes into mixed bundles with real currency.
One Delhi raid revealed an entire team tasked with handing off fake currency at public places in exchange for real cash at a 30–40% margin.
6. Challenges in Busting Networks
Officers report several hurdles:
- Operations move fast — within days of printing, fake notes are distributed.
- Most arrested are foot soldiers. Masterminds operate remotely and rarely show up at print locations.
- Many setups are dismantled and relocated before raids based on tip-offs.
Despite this, coordinated action between local police, special task forces, and intelligence wings has led to increased seizures in recent years.
7. Public Clues That Lead to Raids
In many cases, public tips triggered breakthroughs:
- Residents noticing unusual printing activity at odd hours.
- Electricity usage spikes in apartments.
- Workers frequently coming and going with backpacks or briefcases.
Encouraging public awareness and anonymous tip lines have helped law enforcement track suspicious setups more effectively.
Conclusion
Real stories from police raids show that counterfeit note factories aren’t rare anymore — they’re adaptable, fast-moving, and hidden in everyday surroundings. These operations don’t need industrial-scale setups anymore. Just a printer, a laptop, and a blueprint can flood the market with fake currency if unchecked.
Breaking these chains needs proactive surveillance, community awareness, and relentless disruption at every link — from design labs to the final distributors.
