NEW DELHI: The Income Tax officials on Friday raided an Axis Bank branch in the national capital and identified at least 44 fake bank accounts. According to agencies, the accounts did not conform with Know Your Customer norms and old notes worth Rs 100 crore were deposited in them.
The raid was carried out at the Chandni Chowk branch of the bank in New Delhi. Axis Bank officials are being grilled in connection with the matter.
A total of Rs 450 crore had been deposited in the branch since November 8, the day Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the demonetisation of Rs 500 and Rs 1.000 notes, according to reports.
An Axis Bank spokesperson said, “The bank is committed to following highest standards of corporate governance and has zero tolerance towards any deviation on part of any of its employees from the model code of conduct. Strict action will be taken against any employee found deviating from guidelines; we’re cooperating with investigating agencies.”
Earlier this week, the Enforcement Directorate had arrested two Axis Bank managers and seized 3 kg gold bars in its money laundering probe in a racket to illegally convert old notes in connivance with banking authorities.
Meanwhile, three persons were arrested and Rs 91 lakh in old notes was seized from their possession in separate incidents in Rajasthan, police said. Kotputali police seized Rs 88 lakh in demonetised Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes from Rajendra Bharadwaj (22), asked to deliver the money to a trader in Chaura Rasta area in Jaipur. A Delhi metal firm owner had allegedly hired him for the job.
The accused was arrested while travelling in a bus near Paniyala with a bag full of cash, said Jaipur (rural) DSP Mahmood Khan. Acting on a tip-off, police teams carried out searches of the buses plying between New Delhi and Jaipur and caught the youth with the money, he added. “We have seized the currency and referred the matter to the Income Tax department for carrying out further investigation,” he said.
In Mumbai, the police crime branch seized Rs 85 lakh cash in Rs 2,000 notes from a person at Matunga, police said. The cash was seized by unit 5 of the crime branch from Babasaheb Ambedkar road on Friday afternoon, said Mumbai Police spokesperson Ashok Dudhe.
In a related development, the Haryana Police recovered Rs 10 lakh in new Rs 2,000 currency notes in Gurgaon and arrested two persons in this connection. A police spokesperson said a team recovered the notes from two persons, who were riding on a two-wheeler, near Islampur village in Gurgaon district.