The CBI has filed FIRs against State Bank of Mysore (SBM) officials for alleged illegal exchange of scrapped currency. The cases have been registered under various sections of the IPC, including criminal conspiracy, cheating and criminal breach of trust.
In one case, the CBI received information that Raghuveera Bhat, the head cashier of the currency management branch, entered into a criminal conspiracy with some colleagues and private persons. On November 9, 2016, when there was no banking transaction as per RBI guidelines, he fraudulently exchanged demonetised ₹500 and ₹1,000 notes amounting to ₹50 lakh with ones of ₹50 and ₹100 denominations.
Apart from this, the CBI received information that Raviraju (deceased), who worked as head cashier, SBM, Currency Management Branch, committed irregularities amounting to ₹20 lakh towards cash remittance of the SBM, Basavaraja Market branch, Bengaluru to Currency Management Branch, Bengaluru. On November 15, the Basavaraja Market branch sent a remittance of ₹4.6 crore through Raviraj. But as per the records of the Currency Management Centre, the denominations did not tally.
Apaprt from this, Raviraj, with the help of a colleague Babu, defaced records of the Basavaraja Market branch by pouring ink on the cash remittance register.
Another FIR was registered based on a complaint by the deputy general manager of SBM, Mysuru. He alleged that B. Dinesh, head cashier, currency chest branch, Periyapatna, Mysuru, and Manoj Kumar, a pawn broker, illegally exchanged notes amounting to ₹2.18 crore. Between November 10 and November 23 last year, Dinesh allegedly altered the amounts and denominations written on deposit slips submitted by genuine customers. The notes were allegedly passed on to Manoj Kumar.
