The number of seized Fake Indian Currency Notes (FICNs) and the cumulative face value of these notes declined from 2015 to 2019 (data till June 6, 2019), according to an answer given in the Lok Sabha (Lower House of Indian Parliament), reports The Hindu on July 10. Delhi accounted for the highest quantum of FICNs seized between 2015 and 2019. The INR 500 note is the most counterfeited note in terms of numbers.
Apart from the national capital, Gujarat and West Bengal registered the highest quantum of FICN seized in the past five years. Though Gujarat topped the cumulative list, it registered a huge decline (86.31%) in the value of FICNs seized in 2018 compared to 2017. Odisha (-96%) and Punjab (-86%) were the other big States to see a decline. Tamil Nadu (505%), Rajasthan (287%) and Karnataka (223%) registered the biggest increases in 2018 from 2017.