More counterfeit notes in Surabaya

More counterfeit notes in Surabaya

SURABAYA: East Java Bank Indonesia (BI) official Yan Parikan said on Thursday that more counterfeit notes may had been circulated in the society as fake Rp 100,000 bills, misleading pamphlets and brochures were discovered recently.

Yan said his office had found widely-spread brochures allegedly issued on behalf on BI stating that some serial numbers of Rp 100,000 notes were fake.

"We have never issued such brochures. We have found counterfeit notes of Rp 100,000 denotation, and they have nothing to do with the brochures in the supermarkets or gas stations," he said.

Data at Bank Indonesia office in Surabaya showed that 1,240 fake bank notes or around 0,005 percent of the money in circulation were found in several districts in East Java from January to May 2002.

Local police detective chief I Nyoman Komin acknowledged that they had difficulty arresting counterfeiters.

"So far we have lost so much money but only nailed their accomplices," Nyoman said.--JP