FORGED BANK NOTES

Evening Star, Issue 21517, 15 September 1933, Page 7

FORGED BANK NOTES

HAN HUNT BY AIR 0.1. D. CHIEFS DISGUISED. Scotland Yard’s most spectacular man hunt ended in the discovery of an international gang of alleged bank note forgers and the confiscation of a prints ing press and notes valued at thousands of pounds which can only be distinguished from the genuine by scientific tests. Six men alleged to have been connected with the forgeries have been arrested. Four more arrests are expected. This is Scotland Yard’s most sensational coup. Specially selected men from the Yard for weeks co-operated with the police from Berlin, Paris, Vienna, The Hague, and Amsterdam, in the search for forgers of bank notes of large denominations, including those of the Bank of England. Three men were arrested at the request of Scotland Yard by the Dutch police. Three more were arrested m Germany. The four arrests to be made are also expected to take place in Germany. Forged Bank of England £lO notes of a face value of more than £20,000 have been recovered by Scotland Yard.

TESTS AT BANK OF ENGLAND. Bank of England experts, shown samples of these notes, could not detect them at first. Later they distinguished them from genuine notes by making scientific tests. These forgeries are so skilful that any ordinary persons cannot detect them. The forgeries were first discovered by Bank of England experts when the notes were returned in the ordinary way by Continental banks. The bank asked Scotland Yard to trace the forgers. Superintendent Honvell, instructed by Mr Norman Kendal; assistant commissioner, took charge of the investigation. He at once reached the conclusion that the notes were being printed abroad. NIGHT FLIGHT TO AMSTERDAM. Selected senior ofScers, each an expert in disguises and speaking two or more different languages, combed the Continent. Officers flew from Loudon to Amsterdam and Berlin during the search. Aeroplanes were also chartered for transcontinental journeys. The first arrests were made after Scotland Yard officers had made a dramatic flight from Croydon to Amsterdam by night, A Dutchman and a Russian were arrested, and were alleged to have forged notes valued at more than £5,200 in their possession. Brilliant detective work by Superintendent Horwell and other Yard men, aided by a new system of international police co-operation recently instituted, led to the discovery of the headquarters of a gang in Germany, the location of a printing press, engravings, and paper.