A cash shortfall at a Punjab National Bank currency chest revealed a counterfeit currency racket
SAHARANPUR: A cash shortfall of Rs 4.36 lakh in a remittance sent to the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has led to the discovery of an alleged Rs 7.4 crore counterfeit currency racket inside a Punjab National Bank (PNB) currency chest in Uttar Pradesh’s Saharanpur, prompting police to investigate whether bank insiders helped replace genuine notes with fake ones. Police have registered an FIR against bank officials and private individuals, while a Special Investigation Team (SIT) has been formed to probe how genuine currency worth Rs 7.4 crore allegedly disappeared from the vault and was replaced with counterfeit notes. The fraud came to light after a cash remittance dispatched to the RBI on Aug 10 was found to be short by Rs 4.36 lakh, according to PNB chief deputy manager Nisha Singh.
In a parallel development, a separate report was filed against a housekeeper, Vishal Kumar, over what officials described as a “distinct cash shortfall” at the bank. The discrepancy prompted a detailed audit, during which investigators allegedly uncovered a large quantity of counterfeit currency in the bank’s money vault. Investigators are now examining bank transaction records, audit ledgers and CCTV footage from the currency chest to determine how the counterfeit notes allegedly entered the heavily secured vault and whether the operation involved insiders.
With the final count of counterfeit notes still under verification, the probe is expected to focus heavily on access to the currency chest and the movement of cash within the bank, as police attempt to unravel how an initial Rs 4.36 lakh discrepancy exposed an alleged Rs 7.4 crore currency swap. You Can Also Check: Gold Rate in Agra | Silver Rate in Agra | Bank Holidays in Agra | Public Holidays in Agra | Agra AQI | Weather in Agra | Petrol Price in Agra | Diesel Price in Agra | CNG Price in Agra | LPG Price in Agra