Security features of Indian Currency

1. Check GSM and thickness. Genuine notes are UV dead.

2. Look for three 3-D watermarks on Rs. 500 notes.
3. Rs. 50 and higher denomination have a 6-segment security thread (5 segments for
below Rs. 50) visible with “RBI” in English.
4. Check for the presence of a Braille mark indicating the denomination above the
Ashoka Emblem.
5. Latent image viewable at the eye level on the front right side due to Intaglio printing.
6. Figures of denomination change colour (green to grey) when tilted on Rs. 500 note.
7. Security thread, fibers, number panel, and middle portions fluorescence under UV
light; paper itself does not.
8. Alphabets I, J, O, X, Y, and Z are never used in series numbers

Security features of Indian Passports:

1.Visual Inspection Zone:
Contains personal details such as type of passport, country code, and personal
information.
The last page includes the father's name, mother's name, address, file number, and
passport number below the barcode.
The passport number is perforated or punched for added security.

2.Machine Readable Zone (MRZ):

Printed in OCR-B form (Optical Character Recognition-Type B).
Readable with OCR-B readers used by immigration and border authorities.

There are multiple number of security features that are incorporated in our Indian
passport such as Cover page containing invisible Ashoka Chakra (visible under
UV light), Cylindrical Water Mark of Ashoka Pillar, tiny fluorescent paper
fibres, micro printing, invisible visa page number, heat activated UV film
(HAUV), etc.

Recently, Government of India had taken excellent step for incorporation of advanced
security features in our Indian Passport in Year 2013 in the form of Ghost image and
double lamination sheet in new passport in order to make our Indian pass port more
secure.
Personal data such as name address DOB and passport registratiojn number has been
embedded in tiny fonts on the ghost image to prevent counterfeit.
Security features of visa stickers:

(i) Use of Optical Brightening Agent (OBA) free paper.

(ii) Rainbow and Guilloche pattern printing.

(iii) Presence of hexagonal shaped planchettes and invisible fibres (blue and red).
(iv) Chemical sensitive paper.
(v) Ashok Chakra in the background and Ashoka Pillar in the centre. (vi) Micro lettering of
visa in bilingual.
(vii) 2-D barcoding of ISP and date of printing.
Security Features on a Credit Card (Master Card)

(a) Account numbers begin with figure ‘5’.

(b) The pre-printed Bank Identification Number (BIN) must match the first four digits of the
embossed account number.

(c) The valid date lists the last day on which the card is valid.
(d) Master Cards have a stylized ‘MC’ security character embossed on the right of the valid
dates.

(e) The back side of the card must bear signatures.

(f) A three-dimensional hologram of interlocking globes should reflect light and seem to
change as you rotate the card.

(g) The magnetic stripe on the back of the card should appear smooth and straight with no
signs of tampering.

(h) The word ‘Master Card’ is printed repeatedly in multi-colours when viewed at an angle
on a tamper-evident signature panel.

Note:

(i) The visa card number starts with figure ‘4’ and American Express Card with ‘37’.
(ii) The visa and Master Cards have a total of 16 figures whereas American Express card has
15 figures

Alteration
Alteration is defined as any change to a document which gives it a different effect from that
it originally possessed. If change is made after execution of a document and without the
consent of the other party or concerned person, then such change is called fraudulent
alteration.
The alteration can be done by:

* Addition / Interlineations • Overwriting Features of fraudulent alteration:

* These alterations are done in such a way that they may pass unnoticed under regular
examination of the document.

* The alteration methods are usually latent or may be so minute that an unskilled or
incompetent examiner may not be able to detect them.

Addition
Addition in the document is defined as the insertion of any word, digit etc which changes the
meaning or value of the document. These insertions are made in such spaces as may have
been left blank in the regular entries either in the middle or at the bottom of the page.
If additional matter is written in a small space the size of letters will be smaller and writing
will appear cramped or if space is large enough then letters are in large size to cover up the
remaining space.
In addition alteration the examination can be done to identify the characteristic features of
handwriting:

* size of letter, • spacing and pen-strokes • Colour ink should be made.

Interlineations
Interlineations defined as the writing between the lines of any instrument for the purpose of
adding to it or correcting what has been written.
In examining interlineations, the tint or colour of ink, quality of pen, size of letters, sequence
of crossing strokes and the parts of letters which come in contact with the originally written
letters should be minutely studied. The fraudulent entries are likely to differ from the
original or adjacent writing in size, slant and spacing and the shade of ink etc.
Sheet Insertion
3. Sheet insertion- change by insertion of extra or substituted pages. Paper should be
examined for colour and shade , thickness , calendar and watermark. Ink of writing to be
observed under microscope. Line to line space of the line should be compared if the papers
are ruled ones.
Overwriting
The overwriting may be genuine or fraudulent.
Sometimes in order to correct a spelling mistake, to make writing or figures more legible or
to correct/change some writing, the same writer may overwrite the strokes or lines. Such
overwriting are generally made boldly and no attempt is made to conceal the overwritten or
overwriting is the habit of a writer, the strokes are drawn carelessly.
Examination of overwriting
Most of the overwriting can be detected by examining the document carefully under direct
light, by oblique light and transmitted light to find out any overlapping and changed intensity
of the strokes and under low power microscope to detect careful joining, traces of original
ink beneath the overwritten stroke and for differentiating inks.
Sometimes an examination with UV rays, IR rays and colour filters may also prove useful for
this purpose. The examiner should never forget to examine the back of the document,
because overwriting is usually made cautiously by applying heavy pen pressure causing
embossing on the back of paper which may help a lot to reveal the truth.

Erasure
Erasure is a method of altering a document by rubbing, scraping, or wiping out portions of
the text. It can also refer to the revocation of a will or part of a will.

Types of Erasure:
1.Chemical Erasure:
Bleaches the ink colour, converting coloured compounds to colourless compounds.
The ink remains in the paper but is invisible.
Common chemicals: Sodium hypochlorite, potassium permanganate, oxalic acid, stannous
chloride solution, sodium tungstate.
Solvents like tetrahydrofurane or acetone can remove ball-point pen inks.
2.Physical or Mechanical Erasure:
Involves abrading the paper surface with tools like rubber, razor blades, knives, or Emory
paper.
This process removes surface fibers, making the area thinner and translucent.
Weak pencil writing erased with soft rubber may not damage fibers but embeds rubber
particles.
Damaged sizing makes paper porous, causing feathered ink lines when overwritten.

Detection of Erasure:
Chemical Erasure Detection:
UV rays can reveal invisible ink by changing the paper’s fluorescence.
Chemically erased areas can be detected and photographed under UV light.
Physical Erasure Detection:
Sharp instruments disturb the paper’s surface finish, detectable with oblique light.
Soft rubber particles can be detected under a microscope or with iodine vapors.

Advanced Detection Technique:

VSC (Video Spectral Comparator):
Used to decipher altered or unclear portions of documents.
The image is viewed on a monitor and processed digitally via a computer.

Indentation
Indented writing, or second page writing, is the impression from the writing instrument
captured on sheets of paper below the one that contains the original writing.
Indented writing is normally recovered by one of two methods: either photographically
using oblique (glancing) light or by use of ESDA.
Until the advent of the ESDA, the Forensic Document Examiner applied oblique, or glancing
light, to the furrows of indented writing. Photography was then employed to preserve the
shadowed indentation. A combination of multiple exposures while moving the light source
would fill in the available indentations with shadow and effectively reproduce the indented
writing.
While oblique lighting/photography techniques are often quite acceptable, they lack the
ability to recover non-visible microscopic indentations, typically those occurring three or
four pages down.
Using film, this technique had an inherently lengthy processing time. This process has been
shortened dramatically by use of digital camera equipment.
Security Features in Indian Bank Notes
1. Composition and Material: Indian banknotes are made from 100% pure cotton,
known as comber, which is a residue from textile mills. This material gives the notes a
distinctive crackling sound due to the presence of Titanium Dioxide and is non-
fluorescent under UV light with a folding strength of 6000-7000 folds.
2. Security Thread: A key visible feature for layman identification is the security thread.
It is a yellow fluorescent shifting thread with microprinting of "RBI" and "Bharat" in
Hindi in mirror image, showing green/blue color spacing. It appears windowed on the
obverse side but continuous under transmitted light.
3. Intaglio Printing: The portrait of Mahatma Gandhi, the Reserve Bank seal, the
guarantee and promise clause, the Ashoka Pillar Emblem, and the RBI Governor's
signature are printed in intaglio, providing a raised texture that can be felt. This
feature is typically found on 20, 50, 100, and 500 denomination notes.
4. Braille mark: On the left sides of the notes some symbols appear in Intaglio printing
for the visually impaired persons to identify denomination. This feature is in different
shapes for various denominations.
5. Fluorescence: The Serial Number panels of the notes are usually printed in
fluorescent ink which glows under the UV light.
6. Optically Variable Ink: Featured on 500 denomination notes, this color-shifting ink
changes from green to blue when the note is tilted. This numeral value is located on
the left obverse side and visible as continuous under transmitted light.
7. Optical Threads: These are coloured fibers mixed into the cotton pulp during the
paper manufacturing process. They fluoresce in green, yellow, and blue colors under
UV light, enhancing the security of the note.
8. Omron Features: Also known as anti-copying features, Omron features include small
flower-like dots, criss-cross lines, and other minute printings that are too small to be
captured by photocopying machines.

Charred Documents
The documents which are burnt partially in the act of burning are charred documents and
these documents can be reverted back to a readable form if the proper method and

expertise is applied. The characteristics of the charred documents are as follows: -

The documents become black due to heat.
 The edges of the documents become curled.

 The document becomes fragile.

 Due to the fragility developed the document may break into pieces even by a small
amount of pressure.
 The charred document always has a point during its burning period at which the
written material is clearly seen and at that time the photograph of the document
should be taken if possible.
Protection and transportation of the charred documents: -
Charred documents should be picked with great care by putting a hard paper underneath
the charred documents.
 Since the charred documents are fragile and light waited so, at the time of lifting it
should be protected from the air.
 For transportation to the expert, it is placed in a special kind of cardboard box known
as the corrugated box in which there are layers of cotton and tissue paper on which
the charred document is placed.
 The charred documents should be put very carefully in the corrugated box without
any breakage.
 The topmost layer of this corrugated box consists of cotton so that the document
does not break during transportation.
 The corrugated box should be labelled and sealed with all the necessary details given
below: - * Date and time of evidence collection.

* Place of evidence collection.

* Signature of IO and two witnesses.
* Number of evidences in one box etc.
Stabilization of charred documents: -
The main problem in the deciphering of the charred document is its fragility.
It is that much fragile that it cannot be handled with the hands. So, the first step in
deciphering of the charred document is to make it stable for reading or deciphering
the matter on the documents.
There are number of ways which have been in use for the stabilization of the
charred documents. One of them is placing the charred documents in the wet
moisture chamber for several hours and the spraying of the plasticizers for
stabilization.
The plasticizers used can be cellulose acetate solution in acetone or some
other like the polyvinyl acetate (PVA) solution in acetone. But there are various pros
and cons of every plasticizer material used.
 The cellulose acetate is a good plasticizer but it cannot be used as regular
material here since it cannot be sprayed well which is one of the main characteristics
of the stabilizing agents.
Gum acacia is another material which can be used for the purpose of
stabilization of the charred document but it has a bad property of sticking the glass
on which the charred document is placed with the charred document. Moreover, the
spraying property of the gum acacia is also not good.

INK
Ink is a type of coloured liquid which is used to produce coloured surface in different fields
like a painting image, text or any kind of design.

Key ingredients of Ink

* Pigments (organic and inorganic)

* Dispersants (surfactants and polymers)
* Resins or polymers improve binding
* Humectants retard premature drying
* Defoamers and antifoaming agents
* Wetting agents enhance contact with the substrate
* pH modifiers (usually amine derivatives)
* Biocides and bacteriostats

Inks generally fall into three classes:

* Aqueous • Paste • Powder

Properties of Ink

* Ballpoint ink is specially formulated to be thick and fast-drying. Its viscosity is precisely
controlled: it must be as thick as possible but still thin enough to flow down the barrel of
the pen in response to gravity.
* Ballpoint pen inks use dye because the tiny particles of undissolved pigment can clog the
ball of the pen.

* Ballpoint pen ink is usually oil-based to give it its thickness. Oil also is why ballpoint pen
ink dries quickly and is permanent and waterfast.

* Fountain pen ink is a water-based ink (dye) intended for use with fountain pens. Red ink
usually contains the eosin dye whereas blue ink often contains triarylmethane dye.

* Gel pen ink is a pigment suspended (colloidal) in water-based gel and it is opaque and
thick in appearance.

Types of ink
Indian Ink: It consists of amorphous carbon in the form of lampblack made into a cake with
hide glue. The colour of this ink, which can vary from dark brown to blue-black, is governed
by the quality of the lampblack, which again depends largely upon the materials from which
the lampblack is made.
Fountain Pen Ink -
They can be divided into-

(i) Blue-black Permanent - This is a record in which it contains about half the normal
concentration of iron compounds with an increased proportion of dyestuff.

(ii) Non-staining - It consists of no iron salts and is a little more than a dilute aqueous
solution of one or more synthetic dyestuff.
Ball-point Pen Ink - This ink is based on polyethylene glycols of suitable viscosity. They are
non-hygroscopic and its dyestuff is of high tinctorial powder.
Logwood Ink - It is obtained by mixing chromium salts with an aqueous extract of logwood
chips. Iron gall ink is a purple-black or brown-black ink made from iron salts and tannic acids
from vegetable sources.

Examination Techniques for Ink Analysis Visual Examination:

Observe color and shade variations using an angle-poise table lamp and spotlight.
Use transmitted light for visual analysis.
Magnifiers:
Hand lens typically used.
Stereomicroscope useful, often with transmitted light.
Filters:
Different coloured filters detect various ink shades.
Evaluate faded writings or writing obscured by obliteration.
Invisible Rays:
Soft X-rays, UV rays, and IR rays useful for ink variations.
Poly light instrument evaluates ink with UV and IR radiation.
Spectrographic Analysis:
Useful for analysing metals in ink, especially with laser microprobe.
Samples input as thin layers or liquids; liquid form gives precise results.
Chemical Tests:
Inks can be acidic, alkaline, or neutral.
Test inks' resistance to oxidizing or reducing agents.
Chemicals used: Chlorine or Bromine water, stannous chloride, potassium permanganate,
sodium hydroxide solutions.
Chromatography Analysis:
TLC (Thin Layer Chromatography) distinguishes ink types.
Separates dyestuffs into bands, producing a chromatogram.
Time and cost-effective, quick, sensitive, and specific for most inks.
Electrophoresis:
Inks subjected to magnetic fields separate dyestuffs into bands based on mobility.
Results similar to TLC.
Spectrophotometry:
Identifies dyestuffs' chemical nature after separation through chromatography.
Video Spectral Comparator (VSC):
Identifies ink composition by exposing writing to various wavelengths (UV + IR).
Displays effects on inks on a monitor.
Useful for obliteration and faded writings.