LUCKNOW: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has arrested a contractual driver of Punjab National Bank’s currency chest in Saharanpur for his alleged role in the conspiracy involving counterfeit Indian currency notes worth Rs 17.29 crore found inside the bank’s currency chest.The arrested accused, Adesh Choudhary, was working as a contractual driver at the PNB currency chest in Civil Lines, Saharanpur.The NIA identified him as one of the key accused in the case and said the investigation was focused on uncovering the larger conspiracy behind the presence of the counterfeit notes inside the currency chest.The case came to light on August 29, when Saharanpur police received information about the recovery of counterfeit Indian currency notes with a face value of Rs 17.29 crore from the PNB currency chest.During the initial inquiry, the involvement of three bank employees also surfaced, following which the bank suspended them.The matter was initially registered as FIR No 0431/2026 at Sadar Bazar police station in Saharanpur under Section 178 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023.The NIA subsequently re-registered the case on September 3 at its Lucknow unit.NIA had earlier arrested FIR-named accused Amit Kumar on September 7 in connection with the case.The arrest of Choudhary, who was working as a contractual driver at the currency chest, is expected to help investigators examine the alleged movement and handling of the counterfeit currency and identify other persons involved in the conspiracy.The NIA said its investigation is continuing to uncover the complete conspiracy and establish the roles of the remaining accused and suspects.The agency is also working to identify and arrest other persons allegedly involved in the case.The allegations are under investigation, and further details regarding the origin of the counterfeit currency, its intended destination and the precise roles of the accused are expected to emerge as the probe progresses.
