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New Delhi, September 20, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has arrested two more accused in connection with an alleged counterfeit currency racket involving the Punjab National Bank (PNB) currency chest in Saharanpur, Uttar Pradesh, taking the number of arrests in the case to four.
The latest accused have been identified as Mukesh Kumar, a resident of Hasanpur Kadeem village in Manoharpur, and Rajendra Kumar, a resident of Kalyanpur village in Sarsawa, the NIA said on Sunday.
According to the agency, both are close associates of key accused Adesh Choudhary and are allegedly involved in the conspiracy to circulate counterfeit Indian currency notes through the PNB currency chest at Civil Lines, Saharanpur.
The case relates to the recovery on August 29 of counterfeit Indian currency notes with a face value of Rs 17.29 crore from the PNB currency chest. The information was received by Sadar Bazar Police Station in Saharanpur, following which a case was registered.
The inquiry also brought to light the alleged involvement of three bank employees, who were subsequently suspended by PNB.
The case was initially registered as FIR No. 0431/2026 at Sadar Bazar Police Station under Section 178 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023. The NIA subsequently re-registered the case on September 3 as RC-02/2026/NIA/LKW.
The agency had earlier arrested Amit Kumar on September 7 and Adesh Choudhary on September 15, according to its case chronology.
Choudhary, a contractual driver attached to the PNB currency chest, is suspected of having played a significant role in the alleged wider conspiracy involving the circulation of high-value counterfeit currency notes.
The NIA said its investigation is continuing to establish the full extent of the conspiracy and identify and arrest other accused and suspects.