SBI holds logistics employee liable for bogus ‘Children Bank of India’ notes

The State Bank of India has held an employee of a logistics and cash management company liable for the bogus notes dispensed by one the bank’s ATMs in South Delhi earlier this month, police said on Wednesday.

The State Bank of India has held an employee of a logistics and cash management company liable for the bogus notes dispensed by one the bank’s ATMs in South Delhi earlier this month, police said on Wednesday.

An SBI ATM is south Delhi dispensed fake Rs 2,000 bankotes with ‘Children’s Bank of India’ printed on them instead of Reserve Bank of India. (Pratik Chorge/HT File Photo)

Romil Baaniya, DCP (South), said the employee has been identified as Mohd Isha, a custodian with Brinks India Pvt Ltd. “The liability had been fixed on Mohd Isha as he was the custodian of the currency notes at the time of the incident,” said Baaniya.

He has been asked to join the probe, but police have not decided to arrest him yet. “He was the sole custodian of the vault that contained these notes along with others. So, for now the focus is on him,” said Baaniya.

Read | Fake ‘Children’s Bank of India’ Rs 2000 notes came from SBI Okhla currency chest: Sources

Police have now registered a case of cheating and criminal breach of trust. When the matter had come to light on February 6, police had registered a case of cheating, manufacturing documents resembling currency notes and using forged or counterfeit notes.

“But our probe revealed that the notes were not counterfeit. They are used for playing by children and are available at toy shops. So we revised the Indian Penal Code sections. The case is against unknown persons, but Isha’s role came up in the probe” said Baaniya.

The matter came to light on February 6 when Rohit, a call centre employee, visited a SBI ATM in South Delhi’s Sangam Vihar area to withdraw Rs 8,000 from his bank account.

To his horror, he received four notes carrying the words ‘Churan Lable’, ‘Children Bank of India’ and ‘Bharatiya Manoranjan Bank’. When he informed the police, a sub-inspector visited the place and withdrew Rs 2,000 using his card to find a similar note.