Fake notes worth Rs 17 crore found in UP-Saharanpur PNB: CCTV shows housekeeper withdrawing money, 3 officials suspended; RBI probe underway

Counterfeit notes worth about Rs 17 crore have been recovered from the currency chest of Punjab National Bank (PNB) in Saharanpur, Uttar Pradesh. The matter came to light during a bank audit. After this, at 8 am on Tuesday, 6 RBI officials arrived in two cars. According to sources, the bank employees are being questioned. So far, 3 officers have been suspended in this case. A case has also been registered against 4 people, including three officials, on the complaint of PNB Meerut Chief Manager and Investigation Officer Arun Kumar Chaubey. Rs 4.30 lakh less was found in the amount sent to Jaipur, it was revealed. The matter came to light after the amount sent to Jaipur was reduced from the PNB branch located in Saharanpur's Ghantaghar. A few days ago, Vishal Kumar, a part-time housekeeper in the same PNB branch, was assigned the task of arranging bundles of notes worth Rs 11.50 crore in the currency chest. These included torn, cut and other types of notes. The bank was supposed to send the amount to the RBI's Jaipur currency chest. Under the prescribed procedure, the amount was sent to Jaipur on August 5. When the notes were counted there, Rs 4 lakh 30 thousand 900 was found. This information was given to the officials of Meerut PNB by Jaipur Currency Chest. In the CCTV footage, the housekeeper was seen taking out the notes. PNB sent Meerut Chief Manager Arun Kumar Chaubey to Saharanpur for investigation. He along with the bank officials checked the footage of the CCTV cameras installed in the currency chest. In it, Vishal Kumar, a part-time housekeeper, was seen withdrawing money from a bundle of notes. After the CCTV footage came out, the bank removed Vishal Kumar from work. At the same time, a case of theft was registered against him. Audit of currency chest started from August 9 After the irregularities related to the housekeeper came to light, the bank started an audit of the currency chest from August 9. The investigation team matched the cash and records present in the chest. During the audit, a major irregularity came to light. When the amount kept in the currency chest was examined, fake notes worth Rs 17 crore were found. The discovery of such a large amount of counterfeit notes caused a stir among the bank officials. After this, the investigating officer questioned the officials involved in the currency chest. Senior divisional manager Ravi Kumar Kanse, currency chest manager Sushil Kumar and currency chest manager Amit Kumar posted in Yamunanagar-Jagadhari (Haryana) were questioned. Information was sought from the trio about how the fake notes reached the currency chest and how they were kept there. According to the investigating officer, the three officers could not give satisfactory answers. After this, the matter was reported to the senior officials of the bank. A departmental inquiry has been initiated against the bank officials. Nisha Singh, a senior manager posted at PNB's Mandal office on Delhi Road, said that the bank has suspended the three officials after the matter came to light. A departmental inquiry is also being conducted by the bank. Now the police are investigating how such a large amount of fake notes reached the bank's currency chest. When and by whom the counterfeit notes were kept there, who had a role in it. Police say a case has been registered against three managers Saharanpur DIG Abhishek Singh said, "On the complaint of the chief manager of the bank, a case of theft has been registered against three managers and a part-time housekeeper. The bank is investigating at its own level. The police are also investigating the entire matter.