Not believing the claims that a State Bank of India ATM in South Delhi had dispensed bogus notes proved costly for Delhi Police sub-inspector Saurabh Kumar.
The policeman swiped his own card at the ATM to check whether the complainant, Rohit, was telling the truth. In the process, he too received a similar note, losing Rs 2,000 from his account for the time-being.
Rohit, a customer care executive at a call centre in Chhatarpur, had visited the SBI ATM located in Sangam Vihar’s Tigri on February to withdraw Rs 8,000. What he received were four notes with ‘Churan Lable’, ‘Children Bank of India’ and ‘Bharatiya Manoranjan Bank’ written on them.
When the guard deployed at the ATM booth refused to believe that the bogus notes were dispensed by the ATM, Rohit dialed 100 to seek police’s help.
A sub-inspector and a head constable soon arrived at the scene. They were taken aback by Rohit’s claims but refused to believe him.
Read | Here’s your guide on how to spot a fake Rs 2000 note
To prove Rohit wrong, the sub-inspector handed over his Axis Bank card to his junior to withdraw Rs 2,000 and prove Rohit wrong. The sub-inspector stood confidently, watching over the head constable’s shoulder, even as Rohit and a few others waited in anticipation.
- 1. Bharatiya Manoranjan Bank instead of Bharatiya Reserve Bank
- 2. Serial number 000000
- 3. Rupee sign missing
- 4. Churan Lable instead of strip with leaf markings
- 5. P.K. logo instead of RBI seal
- 6. I promise to pay the barer two thousand coupens (sic) instead of I promise to pay the bearer the sum of two thousand rupees
- 7. Governor’s signature missing
- 8. Churan Lable instead of the Ashok emblem
- 9. Children Bank of India instead of Reserve Bank of India
- 10. Guaranteed by the Children Government instead of Gauranteed by the Central Government
When the note was dispensed in a few seconds, the sub-inspector was left regretting his decision. He had lost Rs 2,000 from his pocket and would have to wait for several days before he may be reimbursed the amount.
Thereafter, the ATM was immediately sealed and the police did not delay the registration of a FIR in the matter. Senior police officers claimed they asked a few customers who had withdrawn cash before Rohit and they all claimed to have received genuine notes.
“A total of five notes were found to be of that kind. The other notes in that chest were genuine,” said Romil Baaniya, DCP (South).
