SBI ATM Dispenses Scanned Copy of Rs 2000 Note, Sparks Protest

The incident follows another one when another SBI ATM dispensed four fake Rs 2,000 notes to a customer.

Image used for representational purposes. (Photo: The Quint)

An SBI ATM allegedly dispensed a fake Rs 2000 note in Shahjahanpur, Uttar Pradesh. The note was a scanned copy of the original, according to The Times of India.

The incident took place on Thursday evening, when Arvind Gupta, a jeweller, withdrew Rs 10,000, and the ATM gave him five Rs 2000 notes. One of these, claims Gupta, was counterfeit.

Also Read: Children Bank of India: SBI Says No Complaint of Fake 2,000 Notes

Of these, one note, with serial number 5 DN 029593, was clearly a counterfeit note. 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, which was then printed.

Arvind Gupta

A crowd soon gathered outside the bank branch to protest. The angry customers participated in a mass protest.

Immediately following the incident, Gupta made a complain to the adjoining bank branch. However, the staff at the bank was not cooperative, says the media report.

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.

Arvind Gupta

Gupta, however, believes that since the note came from the ATM, there has to be someone on the inside involved even though SBI denied the possibility.

There is no possibility that an ATM would dispense fake notes, as we fill them with currency received from the RBI. However, we will check the CCTV footage to ascertain the claim that the ATM disbursed the scanned Rs 2,000 note.

SK Wadhera said, SBI’s deputy general manager

The complain has been lodged with the police. It says investigation will begin on Monday.

We have received a complaint from Gupta that the ATM was dispensing counterfeit currency. We will investigate the matter when the branch reopens on Monday.

RK Bhartiya, Superintendent of Police

The incident follows another one when another SBI ATM in South Delhi’s Sangam Vihar dispensed four fake Rs 2,000 notes to a customer on 6 February. The notes were riddled with glaring errors and may have been the work of pranksters. The fake notes read ‘Children Bank of India,’ instead of ‘Reserve Bank of India’. And in place of ‘Guaranteed by the Central Government, they said, ‘Guaranteed by the Children’s Government’

(With inpurts The Times of India.)