How are folks selling fake notes on Insta, Priyank Kharge asks PM Modi

Karnataka minister and Congress leader Priyank Kharge on Saturday drew the attention of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Instagram reels that advertise the sale of counterfeit currency notes.

In a post on X, Kharge stated: "PM @narendramodi ji, fake currency is just a call away!"

He went on to say, "The primary reason you imposed demonetisation on us Indians was to combat fake currency," adding, "Yet we are now seeing a barrage of social media videos openly promoting the printing and sale of ₹500 counterfeit notes."

Kharge also highlighted the fact that Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman had disclosed in Parliament that counterfeit Rs 500 notes from the 'Mahatma Gandhi (new) series' had increased by 400 per cent between 2018-19 and 2023-24.

"Who are these people? Where do they acquire these counterfeit note printing machines? What has happened to your fight against the cross-border supply of fake currency?" Kharge asked in his post.

He also questioned what Union home minister Amit Shah was doing to address the growing number of counterfeit currency notes in the country. "Is HM @AmitShah only focused on targeting Opposition leaders and toppling elected governments? Why is he failing to take action and enforce legal measures against the indiscriminate circulation of fake currency?" he queried.

Kharge also raised concerns about how criminals are able to openly advertise counterfeit currency notes on Instagram and other social media platforms, asking what the government is doing in response.

"If Instagram and other social media platforms can be used to sell these fake notes, why aren’t your agencies monitoring it? What is @FinMinIndia’s Financial Intelligence Unit and the @RBI doing?" Kharge asked.

In one of the posts shared by Kharge, a large printing machine can be seen adding colour to fake Rs 500 notes, making them resemble the genuine ones as closely as possible. The text 'new stocks available for booking' is also visible in the video.

In another post, a man is shown taking a stack of Rs 500 notes from a carton and counting them using a machine. In yet another post, a person is seen counting Rs 500 notes, with the caption 'All India delivery available' displayed at the top.