The National Investigation Agency (NIA) is investigating a contract worker earning around ₹11,000 per month in connection with the ₹17.29 crore counterfeit currency recovered from a Punjab National Bank (PNB) currency chest in Saharanpur, according to a police officer familiar with the investigation.
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) is checking the worker’s assets, financial transactions and his reported connection with the suspended currency chest manager, Amit Kumar. The worker was employed as a driver-loader at the currency chest.
Despite his monthly salary of ₹11,000, the worker allegedly has links to five houses, an SUV, a sedan and two motorcycles. Investigators are checking when these properties and vehicles were purchased, whose names they are registered in and where the money used to buy them came from.
However, investigators have not yet found any direct link between these assets and the counterfeit currency, the police officer said. The worker’s reported closeness to the suspended manager has led investigators to examine his possible role in the case.
According to the police, the worker’s official duties were limited to driving and loading, but he allegedly spent a lot of time inside the currency chest and worked more like the manager’s personal assistant. Investigators are checking what access he had to the facility and whether he could enter areas where cash was handled.
The worker’s lifestyle has also raised questions. Despite earning ₹11,000 a month, he allegedly hired another driver for around ₹500 per day instead of regularly driving himself. Investigators are examining his property papers, bank accounts, vehicle records and payment details to find out whether his known income can explain his assets.
Police searched his house in Manakmau on Wednesday and recovered documents and other materials. These are now being examined as part of the investigation.
At the same time, investigators are trying to find out how ₹17.29 crore in fake currency reached a PNB currency chest that was supposed to contain genuine cash. The NIA is examining whether counterfeit notes were substituted for genuine currency and, if so, what happened to the original cash.
Investigators are also checking whether the case is connected to a larger network or a possible foreign connection. Investigators are examining cash movement records and banking transactions to understand how the fake currency entered the system and whether any of it was later circulated.
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