Meerut, Sept. 1 -- Counterfeit currency notes with a face value of Rs.7.40 crore were detected during an audit of a Punjab National Bank (PNB) currency chest at Sophia Market near Ghantaghar in Saharanpur's Kotwali Sadar Bazar area, while a separate shortage of Rs.4.36 lakh was found in cash sent from the same chest to the bank's headquarters, police said. The two irregularities came to light during an ongoing audit of the currency chest, where cash from several PNB branches is deposited and from where currency is subsequently sent to the bank's headquarters. PNB nodal officer Arun Kumar Chaubey lodged complaints at the Kotwali Sadar Bazar police station in connection with both incidents. According to the complaint, auditors examining the currency notes stored in the currency chest found counterfeit notes amounting to Rs.7.40 crore. Following the complaint, police registered an FIR against three bank officials, Ravi Kumar, senior manager at the divisional office; Sushil Sharma, currency chest manager; and Amit Kumar, currency chest manager at Khera Bazar in Jagadhri, Haryana. The second case relates to a cash shortage detected when currency was sent from the chest to the bank's headquarters. Officials found that the consignment was short by Rs.4.36 lakh. An FIR was subsequently registered against housekeeper Vishal Kumar in connection with the shortage. The discovery of such a large quantity of counterfeit currency has raised questions about how the notes entered the bank's currency chest and which branches were responsible. Police are now seeking details of the cash deposited by different PNB branches, including the number of notes deposited by each branch and the dates on which the deposits were made. Investigators are also attempting to obtain CCTV footage from the branches that deposited the currency. The footage could help investigators identify people who allegedly deposited the bogus notes and establish the chain through which the fake notes reached the currency chest. Meerut city police said the two cases are being investigated separately. "FIRs have been registered in both cases. Four people have been named as accused," said Vyom Bindal, SP, City....