NEW DELHI: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has arrested an absconding Punjab National Bank (PNB) employee who was named as a key accused in the alleged counterfeit currency conspiracy involving the bank’s currency chest in Saharanpur, Uttar Pradesh.
The accused, Amit Kumar, was arrested in Chandigarh on September 7. He was produced before a Special NIA Court in Chandigarh, which granted his two-day transit remand for his subsequent production before the Special NIA Court in Lucknow.
The case pertains to the seizure of counterfeit Indian currency notes with a face value of Rs 17.29 crore from the PNB currency chest in Saharanpur on August 29.
The matter was initially registered as FIR No. 0431/2026 at Sadar Bazar Police Station in Saharanpur on August 29 under Section 178 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023, against three accused.
During the preliminary investigation, the alleged involvement of three PNB employees came to light, following which the bank suspended them.
The NIA later took over the probe and re-registered the case on September 3. The agency is investigating the broader conspiracy, including the source of the counterfeit notes, their procurement and movement, as well as the suspected involvement of other individuals.
Kumar was serving as a PNB manager and was one of the joint custodians of the currency chest at the time of the alleged offence. He is among the three bank employees named in the FIR.
The NIA said its investigation is continuing to establish the full extent of the conspiracy and identify, trace and arrest other accused persons.