A Bangladeshi with a valid passport and visa was detained by the BSF and handed over to police on Saturday for allegedly carrying fake Indian currency.
The fake notes had a face value of ₹19,500 in denomination of 500-rupee notes.
The incident has raised eyebrows on the role of Bangladesh immigration authorities. Questions are being raised how the Bangladesh immigration overlooked fake notes being carried by Md Rajjan, 34.
Rajjan, of Kharial village under Sibganj police station in Chapai Nawabganj district of Bangladesh, reportedly entered India through the Mahadipur landport with valid documents.
"During formal examination, the BSF found Indian currencies with Rajjan which seemed to be suspicious. On verification, those currencies proved to be fake. The man was nabbed and then handed over to Englishbazar police station," the BSF sources said.
It has been learnt from BSF sources that during primary investigation the youth claimed that he got those notes from a private money-exchanger near the immigration counter in Bangladesh.
"What he has claimed is a serious allegation. His claim has to be examined carefully," a BSF source said.
In a separate incident the BSF personnel of 119th battalion seized a packet of fake Indian currency at Chori Anantapur area under Kaliachak police station in Malda on Saturday afternoon.
"The packet containing 400 counterfeit Indian notes of 500 was thrown over the fence to India from the Bangladesh side. During the search operation, the packet was found on Indian soil but there was no claimant. The fake currency notes with a fake value of ₹2 lakh was seized immediately," a BSF source said.
In Englishbazar, one Hanif Sheikh was arrested by the police on Sunday evening with fake notes with the face value of around ₹10 lakh. Police are trying to ascertain the source of these fake notes and to whom they were meant for.
Drugs haul
Brown sugar worth ₹6 crore was recovered from across Malda district on Sunday. Police arrested seven persons from four different locations. Investigations are on.