Trucks carrying soiled notes worth Rs 2,000 crore briefly detained in Andhra, cash belonged to banks

Pamidi: Four container trucks carrying ‘soiled’ currency notes amounting to Rs 2,000 crore were detained here by the Andhra Pradesh Police on Thursday but released later as these belonged to banks, an official said.

The trucks were released after verification of documents, and these currency notes belonged to the ICICI, IDBI and the Federal Bank, Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIGP), Anantpur Range, R N Ammi Reddy said.

The officer said the trucks coming from Kerala were headed to the regional office of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) in Hyderabad.

The trucks were detained as the Model Code of Conduct is in force in view of the Lok Sabha elections. Polling for parliamentary and assembly elections in Andhra Pradesh will be held simultaneously on May 13.

‘It was basically a consignment of soiled notes which belonged to the ICICI, IDBI and the Federal Bank and amounted to Rs 2,000 crore. They were being taken from Kochi to RBI, Hyderabad,’ Reddy told PTI.

The trucks had vehicles escorting them and all necessary transit documents were made available to police, the DIGP said and added that confirmation of the banks concerned and the RBI was taken and verified.

Income tax department officials, the election returning officer and others were roped in for the verification process, the officer said.

Reddy, however, said that there was no prior information with the state police about the movement of such currency notes.