Punjab National Bank 17 Cr Scam. 17 Core Counterfeit Notes in PNB Bank.

There is a web series on Amazon Prime named Farzi, starring Shahid Kapoor. In that series Farzi, it is shown how counterfeit notes enter India. The whole network is explained. We have seen this in web series and movies. But can this also happen in real life? My goodness, Punjab National Bank. Who would have thought that a 17 crore scam could happen inside Punjab National Bank. And a completely filmy scam. Let me tell you what filmy scam happened.

Punjab National Bank 17 Cr Scam

17 crores 29 lakhs worth of counterfeit notes have been seized inside the Sophia Market branch of Punjab National Bank in Saharanpur, UP. You will say, counterfeit notes inside a bank, and that too worth 17 crores! How did these counterfeit notes reach inside the bank? Because whenever a person goes to deposit money in a bank, the bank officials check every single note. They have machines. Either the machines were not able to identify it or there was some other problem. Let me explain the whole thing to you. This 17 crores was kept inside the high-security vault of the bank. Who is checking whether it is real notes or fake notes? The money is lying inside the bank's vault. But now how was this scam uncovered? Let me explain.
So initially there was a cash shortage. On 5th August, the RBI takes back all the old, torn and soiled notes from all the banks. So here a consignment of 11.5 crores arrives from PNB Saharanpur. Meaning, a consignment of 11.5 crores of old, torn notes arrives. Where does it arrive?

It arrives in Jaipur, at the RBI's currency chest. Now what happens there? A shortfall is detected. The officials of RBI Jaipur discover that 4,30,900 is short. So how is this possible? This is a bank. Every single note should match. If you said you are sending 15 crores, then not even a single 500 rupee note can be less. How did 4,30,900 remain short here? So the PNB Meerut officials are told to start an audit. After that, vault reconciliation starts on the 9th. A physical audit begins. It is found that 148 bundles contain completely fake 500 rupee notes. So initially it is found that 7 crore 40 lakh worth of fake notes have been found. I was saying 17 crores. So what happens after that? Each and every note is checked. Not just bundles, but checks are done inside the bundles as well. It is found that there are fake notes even inside the bundles. Some real and some fake were mixed together. And when the total note-by-note counting is done, it is found that 17.29 crores of fake currency has been seized. 17 crores, I am saying, inside one branch of one bank.

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Now how was caught?

First, the currency was substituted. The genuine currency notes inside the vault were systematically replaced one by one with counterfeit notes. How was it found? CCTV footage was taken out. In the security cameras of the vault, a housekeeper was caught who used to go inside. He would go in the name of housekeeping, saying I am going to arrange the cash. But what did he do? He used to tamper with the bundles. He used to take out cash from it and put in fake notes. And who knows since when he had been doing this. Now see further, the accused who have been caught and those who have been suspended. The PNB branch manager Amit Kumar, who was the joint custodian of the currency chest, ran away. As soon as the physical audit started, he absconded and you know when he was caught. He was arrested in Chandigarh on the 7th September, by the National Investigation Agency. The physical audit that started on 9th August. He had been absconding since 9th August and he was caught on 7th September. After that he was taken on remand to Lucknow. Then there is Ravi Kumar, who was the Senior Divisional Manager in PNB. His name is now in the FIR and he has been suspended. Mr. Sushil Kumar Sharma, who was the currency chest manager of Sophia Market. His name is also in the FIR, he has been suspended. After that, Vishal Kumar, who was a part-time housekeeper, was terminated because he was the guy who was seen in the CCTV footage going inside, but on whose instructions was he going.

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Here, the name that is coming up everywhere is that of Mr. Amit Kumar, the bank manager. Why? Because he had a PA. Whose name is Adesh Kumar. He was a contractual driver. He used to work like a PA. His salary was only 11,000 rupees per month. But how can a man with a salary of 11,000 rupees per month have five houses? Five houses have been found. He also had an SUV car. He also had a Sedan car. He also had two motorcycles. It came to such a point that the NIA had to raid his house. How can a man earning 11,000 rupees per month be so rich? So when the investigation happened, he was caught. Now understand what the police have done. The police first filed an FIR. The FIR was registered on 29th August at Sadar Bazar police station. After that a Special Investigation Team was formed and raids were conducted in multiple states. UP police conducted raids inside UP, Haryana and Uttarakhand. After that, the NIA took over the whole case on 3rd September.