The Meerut police crime branch will investigate the recovery of 1,323 counterfeit currency notes with face value of ₹ 4.63 lakh from the currency chest of an Axis Bank branch in Meerut’s Mangal Pandey Nagar earlier this month, while the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) will monitor the probe, police officials said.
The Civil Lines police prepared a preliminary report and submitted it to the SSP. Statements of bank officials and employees are also expected to be recorded. Subsequently, an FIR was registered at Civil Lines police station on September 22. The currency chest, located at the Axis Bank branch under Medical police station area, is linked to 186 branches of the bank.
The Meerut case is also being viewed against the backdrop of the recovery of counterfeit currency worth ₹ 17.29 crore from the currency chest of Punjab National Bank in neighbouring Saharanpur. The probe will be conducted by a team under the supervision of the SP (crime), he added. The counting of cash was done during the second week of this month. Bank officials are now collecting records and other details related to the cash deposited during the period under investigation. The National Investigation Agency is investigating the Saharanpur case.
Because counterfeit notes worth ₹ 2.37 lakh had been detected at the same Axis Bank branch in 2024, the case has also raised concerns.
SP (city) Vinayak Gopal Bhosle said SSP BBGTS Murthy handed over the investigation to the crime branch. An FIR was registered at the Civil Lines police station in that case and police said the investigation was still underway.
