TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Indonesia’s central bank Bank Indonesia (BI) has urged the public to be aware of the circulation of counterfeit money circulation ahead of the Eid Day.

"In the final operation carried out in collaboration with the Police Department, we found 18,000 pieces of counterfeit money," said BI Deputy Governor Ronald Waas in Jakarta on Friday.

Ronald explained the majority of counterfeit money was found in Java, especially in economic centers in the island’s major cities.

BI has also intensified cooperation with police, he added.

He went on to say that the Central bank has also asked the police to maximize penalty to the perpetrators of the circulation of counterfeit money in order to give a deterrent effect.

"We are also improving the dissemination to differentiate between genuine money and counterfeit currency so that the public can be more vigilant," Ronald added.

The latest incident occurred on Thursday when a team from the Sub-Directorate of Motor Vehicle Theft VI Criminal Investigation Directorate General of the Jakarta Police arrested eight people, who allegedly circulate counterfeit US dollars worth Rp 4.2 billion.

EGI ADYATAMA | SHINTA MAHARANI (YOGYAKARTA) | DIANANTA P. SUMEDI (BANJARMASIN)