Lucknow, Jan 3 (IANS): Fake Indian currency, with a face value of Rs 47,710, has been found in the Reserve Bank of India chest during an audit in Lucknow.

RBI Assistant Manager Satyavir Singh has lodged a case with Mahanagar police about the recovery of 454 counterfeit currency during the checking of notes.

"These fake notes comprised a Rs 10 rupee note, 18 notes of Rs 50, 443 notes of Rs 100, one note each of Rs 500 and Rs 2,000," he stated in the FIR.

Singh wrote to the officials to conduct a checking and also take legal action before returning the notes to the RBI.

He said circulation/ printing of fake currencies was a serious crime. He added that police may send the fake currencies to the currency printing press or forensic lab during the investigation of the case.

Station house officer, Mahanagar, Dinesh Chandra Mishra, said an FIR under the charges of using forged or counterfeit currency-notes or bank-notes as genuine has been lodged.

Last year, 44 fake currency notes of Rs 20 and Rs 100 denominations were found in April-May during the checking by the RBI.

In 2020, the Reserve Bank of India had lodged an FIR stating that Rs 1.5 crore in demonetised currency were found in the bank chest deposited by various state banks between October 2017 and March 2018.