SBI ATM dispenses fake Rs 2000 notes bearing ‘Children Bank of India’ mark
The fake note that was dispensed by the SBI ATM in Sangam Vihar
A Delhi youth, who had gone to withdraw money from the SBI ATM in Sangam Vihar, was shocked to see the ‘Children Bank of India’ mark on the new Rs 2000 notes dispensed from the machine.
According to Rohit Kumar, who works as a customer care executive with a private company in south Delhi, the incident took place on February 6, when he had gone to the ATM to withdraw Rs 8,000 cash.
Kumar said that the ATM dispensed four fake Rs 2,000 notes, with “Children Bank of India” printed in place of Reserve Bank of India.
The noted even had “Churan Lable” written in place of the strip with leaf markings and bore a modified pledge, that read, “I promise to pay the bearer two thousand coupens”.
Overall, the fake note was different from the original one in at least ten different ways, including a missing rupee symbol, RBI governor’s signature, serial number 000000, among others.
A senior police officer, who reportedly went to investigate the case, also received fake notes. “We sent a sub-inspector to verify the allegations. He withdrew one Rs 2,000 note and that also turned out to be fake,” an officer said.
Following which, a case of manufacturing documents resembling currency notes, using forged or counterfeit notes and of cheating has reportedly been registered at Sangam Vihar police station under IPC sections 489-b, 489-e and 420.
Police have launched an inquiry into the incident and an SBI spokesperson has said they will be sending a team to investigate the matter.
According to experts, it is possible for an ATM to dispense even a simple sheet of paper if its size is the same as the currency notes.
“Technically, ATMs are not equipped to read the security features of notes. Only the size needs to be the same,” said K. Srinivas, Managing Director BTI Payments, an RBI-licensed firm that operates cash dispensers not owned and managed by banks.
Unsurprisingly, Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal was quick to blame PM Modi for the debacle. “A Prime Minister who can’t even print notes properly; how can he run the country? He has reduced the whole nation into a laughing stock,” the Aam Aadmi Party leader tweeted.
The new Rs 2000 notes were introduced after the demonetisation of high value currency on November 9.
Update:
Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police Rajiv Ranjan Singh told IANS on Wednesday that the vendor who supplied the cash to the ATM and the persons who inserted the fake notes had been identified.
When asked why no arrest had been made so far, Singh said: “The case is still a matter of investigation. The moment everything is done, arrests shall take place.”
