Investigators are examining how the fake notes entered a Punjab National Bank (PNB) currency chest and whether they travelled further through the formal banking network, senior NIA officials informed on Tuesday. The trail of a ₹ 111-crore currency consignment sent from Saharanpur is emerging as a key lead in the National Investigation Agency’s (NIA) probe into the ₹ 17.29-crore suspected counterfeit currency haul.
He is one of three PNB officials under investigation after counterfeit notes worth ₹ 17.29 crore were detected inside the bank’s currency chest in Saharanpur’s Sofia Market. Investigators are reconstructing the movement of the ₹ 111-crore currency consignment sent from Saharanpur to the Reserve Bank of India’s Jaipur office on July 6. The consignment reportedly contained 1,900 bundles of ₹ 500 notes and 800 bundles of ₹ 200 notes.
Bank records, financial transactions and electronic devices seized during searches are also likely to be examined to establish the wider network behind the alleged racket. The probe gained significance after the NIA arrested Amit Kumar, manager of PNB’s Jagadhri currency chest, on Monday.
The agency is likely to examine bank accounts linked to the accused and their associates, focusing on deposits, withdrawals and transfers that could indicate the movement of funds connected with the alleged operation. The NIA is expected to examine the devices for communications and contacts that could establish links beyond the bank and Saharanpur.
The NIA is also expected to determine whether fake notes from the currency chest had reached bank branches or ATMs before the irregularity was detected and, if so, how much entered circulation.
