'Biggest safai of 2025': Woman finds ₹2 lakh in old ₹2,000 notes during Diwali clean-up

 

A routine Diwali clean-up led to a surprising discovery for one family when a Reddit user revealed that their mother found ₹2 lakh in discontinued ₹2,000 notes tucked away in an old DTH set‑top box.

Posting under the title “Biggest Diwali Safai of 2025,” the user said the pink bundles were most likely kept there by their father when demonetisation took place. 

"During Diwali safai, my mom found ₹2 lakh in old 2000 rupee notes… hidden inside an old DTH box probably kept there by my desi dad back in demonetization times. We haven’t told him yet. And please suggest how to proceed this further," the user wrote on Reddit. 

 

 

 

The photo of the neatly packed notes quickly went viral, drawing thousands of views and a lively discussion in the comments. Several commenters reminded readers that the ₹2,000 note was officially withdrawn from circulation by the Reserve Bank of India in 2023, and said holders must use designated RBI channels to exchange or deposit the notes. 

"You can take these to RBI," a user said. Replying to this, a user commented: “₹2 lakh is a big amount, bro — since it’s cash, most probably it’s black money. RBI will question OP a lot. If you are planning to take it to the RBI, consult your CA first and take advise from him/her for the excuses you will tell RBI.”

"They are still a legal tender despite being phased out. You can get them exchanged only at designated RBI offices with 20K limit," a third user said. 

"Feko mat ise mujhe de do (one person's trash is another person's treasure)," a fourth user commented. 

"Just go to your nearest RBI and exchange after filling the declaration, these ₹2000 notes are not demonetised, only removed from circulation, but just remember to exchange in 5-10 batches, exchanging ₹2 lakhs in a single batch could put you in bit trouble. Different persons will also help," another user said.