On Friday, a State Bank of India ATM in Shahjahanpur became the center of protests after it dispensed a Rs. 2,000 notes which were scanned copies of genuine notes. The bank officials refused to acknowledge the fake notes, the customers put up a protest.
Another incident in Delhi last week dispensed ‘Children Bank of India.’ On Thursday evening, Arvind Gupta, a jeweler from Jalalabad area of Shahjahanpur went to the SBI ATM nearby to withdraw Rs. 10,000. The ATM dispensed five notes of Rs. 2,000 each. The jeweler said that there were people in line who witnessed, he added, “Of these, one note, with serial number 5 DN 029593, was clearly counterfeit. The paper was not the type on which currency notes are printed. On exiting the ATM and holding the note up to the light, I could clearly see that it was not genuine and appeared to have been scanned from a genuine note and then printed.”
After this, the jeweler rushed to the adjacent bank where the staff allegedly refused to acknowledge that the counterfeit note was issued by the ATM. Gupta also said, “They just wanted me to go away. The bank manager, J.P. Chandel, was on leave on Thursday and the staff told me to meet him on Monday.” The jeweler refused to leave the branch and called up other locals as well as bank customers in the area to stage a protest. He later filed a complaint to the sub-divisional magistrate of Jalalabad and the station officer of Jalalabad police station.
Superintendent of police (rural) R.K. Bhartiya, speaking about this incident, “We have received a complaint from Gupta that the ATM was dispensing counterfeit currency. We will investigate the matter when the branch re-opens on Monday.”
The bank manager J.P. Chandel, dismissed the possibility of the counterfeit note being disbursed by the ATM. Speaking to a news daily he said, “All the currency is refilled by our own staff. Gupta seems to have found just one note. Why would someone risk their job for just Rs. 2,000? It seems to be an attempt to put some sort of pressure on the bank and its staff. I will definitely check the CCTV footage once the bank opens for work on Monday.”
The Deputy General Manager S.K. Wadhera said that there is no possibility of ATM dispensing fake notes. He also said that they will check the CCTV footage and verify the claim of the ATM dispensing fake notes.
