The security forces recovered a huge cache of fake currency notes printed by Maoists and the equipment used for it from a forest in Chhattisgarh’s Sukma district on Saturday evening, officials said.
Sukma superintendent of police, Kiran Chavan, said that this is the first time fake currency notes belonging to Maoists have been recovered from the state, which has been struggling with the menace for more than three decades.
According to police, Maoists had been allegedly using the fake currency notes in weekly markets of interior areas of Bastar region and duping innocent tribals for a long time.
“Prima facie it was found that Maoists were engaged in printing fake notes. Our investigation suggested that in 2022, Maoists in west Bastar division area gave training of printing fake notes to some of their cadres,” the SP told the media.
It also suggests that continuous anti-Naxal operations have choked the funding chain of ultras, he said.
“Under pressure and due to shortage of funds, Maoists have been trying to use fake notes for procurement of various items in the weekly markets of the region’s interior pockets and duping local tribal vendors,” he said.
The recovery was made on Saturday evening on a forested hill near Korajguda village of the district.
Personnel belonging to the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF)’s 50th battalion, District Reserve Guard (DRG), Bastar Fighters and district force were involved in the operation, which was launched based on inputs that Konta area committee of Maoists was engaged in printing fake notes in Mailasur, Korajguda and Danteshpuram areas of Sukma, he said.
On sensing the presence of security personnel near Korajguda, Maoists escaped into a dense forest leaving behind their belongings.
During a search of the site, the security personnel recovered a cache of fake notes in the denominations of ₹50, ₹100, ₹200 and ₹500, a coloured printing machine, a black and white printer, an inverter machine, 200 bottles of ink, four cartridges of printer machine, nine printer rollers, six wireless sets, its charger and batteries, he said.
Two muzzle loading guns, a huge cache of explosives, other materials and Naxal uniform clothes were also seized, Chavan said.
