ATM cash loader held for replacing original notes

NEW DELHI: Accusing him of exchanging five original ₹2,000 banknotes with the ‘Children’s Bank of India’ notes, the Delhi Police have arrested Mohd Isha, 27, who worked at an ATM cash loading company in connection with the fake notes that were dispensed by an SBI ATM.

He was the custodian of the cash deposited in the SBI ATM in Sangam Vihar on the day these bogus notes were dispensed.

Romil Baaniya, DCP (SouthEast), alleged their investigation pointed towards Isha’s role in replacing the notes. He said, “No one else had access to the notes that day. He removed five genuine notes with the bogus ones.”

Sources said the vehicle carrying the vault containing the notes had been taken to Deoli in south Delhi for replenishing an ATM before heading to Sangam Vihar. “He must have exchanged the notes in Deoli. He was the only person who could have meddled with them,” said an investigator.

The police have not recovered the allegedly stolen notes by Isha, who is a graduate from Pratapgarh in Uttar Pradesh. “We can’t say with certainty that the ₹2,000 notes currently in his possession are the stolen ones. It has been a while since the crime happened, so he must have spent them,” explained the investigator.

Police said their probe revealed that the fake notes were available in many markets in Delhi for ₹40 for notes worth ₹2 lakh. “We need to ascertain from where he purchased the churan notes,” the officer said.

The notes, dispensed on Febru ary 6 from a SBI ATM installed in Tigri in Sangam Vihar, read ‘Children Bank of India’ in place of Reserve Bank of India and ‘Guaranteed by the Children’s Government’ in place of guaran teed by the Central Government

The matter had come to ligh on February 6 when Rohit, a cal centre employee, visited the SB ATM to withdraw ₹8,000. When the notes were dispensed, Rohi noticed the deliberate mistakes on the notes like ‘promise to pay the bearer two thousand cou pons’ and ‘Serial number 000000’