The number of wildlife smuggling cases in India detected by the Wildlife Crimes Control Bureau has been steadily increase over 3 years.
In 2009-2010, the bureau identified 205 cases of wildlife being smuggled by traffickers into the black market. In 2010-2011, the number of smuggling incidents increased to 245, and rose again in 2011-2012 to 312.
Media in the country reported that over a thousand websites were involved in selling endangered animals online.
Source: Akhila Vijayaraghavan, “The shady business of online wildlife trade,” Mongbay.com, April 30, 2013.
Bankers in India estimate that up to $2.2 Trillion (120,000 Billion Indian Rupees) of currency in the country could be counterfeit.
In 2009 to 2010, the Reserve Bank of India detected over 400,000 counterfeit notes that were passed in circulation.
Authorities state that many ATM machines at bank locations dispense fake 500 and 1,000 notes.
Source: ”India’s reserve bank works to combat counterfeiters,” Radio Australia, April 23, 2013.
Security officials stated that they have seen up to 5 major contract killings take place in Delhi during the course of four decades. The lastest killing in the capital of India took place in 2013, where a politician was killed. Police reported that the contract for the hit on the man was $900,000 (50 Million Indian Rupees). The previous contract hit that took place in Delhi was in 2003, where the price of the contract was for $18,000 (1 Million Rupees).
Contract killers in India, also known as Supari, have a history in the Mumbai underworld. The first reported contract killing officially registered by police was in 1969, where a ganger was paid 10,000 Pakistan Rupees to carry out a hit.
In 2013, organized crime groups in Mumbai hire hitmen for between $35 to $900 (2,000 to 50,000 Indian Rupees) to carry out murders, according to law enforcement in the city.
(See additional contract killing prices here.)
Source: Kritka Sharma, “The Rs 5 crore contract killing of Bhardwaj shows murder is still big business in the Delhi and Mumbai underworlds,” Daily Mail India, April 11, 2013.
Some women sex workers in Calcutta, India are reported to earn as little as $1.85 a day (100 Indian Rupees). There are around 10,000 prostitutes in the region.
In 2013, customers were begining to pay for services using fake rupee notes. Many male customers were reportedly paying with counterfeit 500 ruppe and 1,000 ruppe notes. A non-governmental organization began training the sex workers on how to spot fake currency, as well as installing ultraviolet light machines that could determine whether a note was fake. After the campaign, the number of reported fake notes used in the area declined by 20 percent.
Source: ”Teaching Indian sex workers to spot fake currency,” BBC News, April 2, 2013.
Police in Allahabad, India report that in over 85 percent of serious crimes in the city is committed by criminals using an illegal and unlicensed weapon.
Illegal weapons such as the Kattas, a locally produced gun, outnumber legal weapons in the city by a ratio of 12 to 1.
Between 2009 to 2012, security officials have seized over 1,200 illegally owned kattas in the city.
Source: Kapil Dixit, “Illegal arms smuggling continues to thrive in district,” Times of India, April 2, 2013.
Nehru Place, a large commercial and business center in Delhi, India, is responsible for generating almost half of all legitimate software sales in the country.
Young children between the ages of 13 to 18 sell pirated copies of the software in front of the legitimate stores for prices a little as $2 (100 Indian Rupees). The area is thus responsible for up to 60 percent of the pirated software market.
Authentic, licensed software sold in India can cost up to 30 times more than the pirated version sold in the streets.
Source: Jason Overdorf, “India: Pirates! Caught on tape!,” GlobalPost, March 3, 2013.
Customs in India seized $9.1 Million (500 Million Indian Rupees) worth of gold from smugglers during the April to October 2012 time period. The amount of gold seized during that time period was higher than the $2.7 Million (150 Million Rupees) seized in 2011.
Economic Intelligence Agencies in India state that gold smuggling and the avoidance of tax payments have contributed to lost revenue.
Source: PTI, “Customs, intelligence agencies raise vigil to check gold smuggling,” Economic Times, March 3, 2013.
Recruitment agents who work for human trafficking groups in Northern Bangladesh earn various fees for finding girls.
If an agent finds a girl who is “certified as ‘fit’” and is determined to be good-looking enough to work as a prostitute in India, then the agent receives a payment of $1,456 to $1,821 (80,000 to 100,000 Indian Rupees).
If a trafficking agent finds someone to work as a domestic help or as a laborer, then the agent receives a payment of $273.
(More traffickers prices here.)
Source: Sumati Yengkhom, “Trafficking of tribal girls: ‘Agents’ make big bucks, thrive on easy prey,” Times of India, March 4, 2013.
There are an estimated 11,000 prostitutes working in the city of Kolkata, India. The area is considered to be one of the oldest red-light districts in Asia.
Across India, there are up to 3 million prostitutes, with nearly half of them being minors.
In the city of Kolkata, the price to have sex with a virgin is $1,000, according to anti-human trafficking organizations. For a 15 minute sessions with an adult, the price can be as little as $1.
(More prostitution prices from around the world.)
Source: Barbara Borst, “Indian Women Seek Exit From Prostitution,” Huffington Post, January 31, 2013.
Between April 2012 to December 2012, financial authorities in India state that up to $1.8 Billion (98 Billion Rupees) was evaded in service taxes within the country. Financial crime investigators were able to recover $376 Million (20 Billion Rupees).
Source: “Service tax evasion at 98 billion rupees in April-Dec: official,” Reuters, February 1, 2013.
