(Editor's Note: The story was last updated on 19 August 2019 and is being republished in the light of the claim being shared again on social media platforms.)
CLAIM
A video of what appears to be a medium-scale printing press minting the new Rs 50 and Rs 200 notes has been doing the rounds on social media, with a claim that the notes are being printed in a ‘small-scale industry’ in Pakistan.
The video shows a man stacking bundles of the alleged fake notes, while heavy printing machinery can be seen in the background.
THE TRUTH
While the notes seen in the video closely resemble the Indian currency, they are not counterfeit notes but rather token/game notes – like the ones used in money-based board games like Monopoly.
A side-by-side analysis of a key frame of the video and the specimen Rs 50 note provided by the RBI proves the same:
Key differences between the Rs 50 note seen in the video and the RBI’s official specimen:
- Instead of Reserve Bank of India on the note, it says ‘Children’s Bank of India’ and ‘Manoranjan Bank’ on the note in the video.
- There is no Rupee symbol (₹).
- There is no state emblem of India.
- The different-sized note number is missing.
Therefore, it can be established that the notes in question are not attempts at minting counterfeit currency, but rather replications for what could be a board game – given that they appear to be larger in size than the real notes as well.
However, possessing or producing material, which resembles Indian currency notes is illegal and punishable by law, reported Bangalore Mirror.
SAME VIDEO WAS VIRAL IN 2018
The same video had gone viral in 2018 with a claim that the notes were being printed in Bangladesh.
Multiple versions of the video were shared among groups and by individual users on social media, with most of the captions claiming that it was from a fake note factory in Bangladesh.
CONTROVERSY OVER ‘CHILDREN BANK OF INDIA’ NOTE
Similar notes have, however, been circulated as real currency in the past.
In March 2017, months after demonetisation, an ATM in South Delhi’s Amar colony area had dispensed a fake Rs 2,000 currency note with “Children Bank of India” printed on it.
In a similar case, a Sangam Vihar resident Rohit Kumar had received four fake notes of Rs 2,000 denomination from an ATM in southeast Delhi on 6 February 2017. The terms “Churan label” and “Children Bank of India” were reportedly printed on them.
(With inputs from Bangalore Mirror)
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