The National Investigation Agency (NIA) arrested an absconding accused, Amit Kumar, a bank employee and a key accused in the conspiracy relating to counterfeit currency notes at the Punjab National Bank currency chest, Saharanpur, officials said on Tuesday (September 8, 2026).

“The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has arrested an absconding accused, Amit Kumar, a bank employee and a key FIR-named accused in the conspiracy relating to counterfeit currency notes at the Punjab National Bank currency chest, Saharanpur, UP, in case RC-02/2026/NIA/LKW,” reads an official statement.

“On 29th August 2026, PS Sadar Bazar, District Saharanpur, UP, received credible information regarding the recovery of counterfeit Indian currency notes with a face value of ₹17.29 crore from the currency chest of Punjab National Bank, Saharanpur, UP. The involvement of three employees of the bank also surfaced during the inquiry, and they were accordingly suspended by the bank. The case was initially registered as FIR No. 0431/2026, dated 29th August 2026, at PS Sadar Bazar, District Saharanpur, UP, under section 178 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023, against 3 accused persons, and was re-registered by NIA on 3rd September 2026. Investigation is ongoing to unfold the complete conspiracy and to arrest the co-accused persons,” the official statement further reads.

State-owned Punjab National Bank (PNB) on Monday (January 19, 2026) reported a 13% improvement in net profit to ₹5,100 crore for the third quarter ended December 2025.

The bank had earned a net profit of ₹4,508 crore in the same quarter a year ago.

Its total income rose to ₹37,253 crore from ₹34,752 crore in the year-ago period, PNB said in a regulatory filing.

Interest income during the quarter also rose to ₹32,231 crore from ₹31,340 crore.

On the asset quality front, the bank’s gross non-performing assets ratio moderated to 3.19% from 4.09% a year ago.

Similarly, net NPAs, or bad loans, came down to 0.32% against 0.41% at the end of the third quarter last fiscal.

During the quarter, its capital adequacy ratio increased to 16.77% compared to 15.41% in December 2024.

The National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT), Chennai, on Monday (September 1, 2025) admitted Aban Offshore Ltd. for insolvency resolution, following a petition filed by Punjab National Bank.

The order copy is awaited, Aban Offshore said in a filing to the stock exchange.

Punjab National Bank, a financial creditor, had moved the petition under Section 7 of the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, 2016, for a default amount of ₹366.09 crore, the company said.