THANE: Deposits totalling over Rs 9,000 crore were made in select district central cooperative banks (DCCBs) across 17 states between November 10 and 15. The government's demonetisation decision kicked in on November 9.Perennially ailing with accumulated losses and large non-performing assets, DCCBs suddenly mopped up over Rs 147 crore in the demonetised Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes.Once the flow of deposits into the politically controlled outfits was noticed, policymakers at North Block and the RBI barred DCCBs from accepting any more deposits of the scrapped notes . However, according to experts, the five-day window clearly proved enough for those with connections in DCCBs to convert their unaccounted for wealth into the new notes."For many years, DCCBs have been hunting grounds for politicians who open accounts in the name of farmers and use them for money laundering,'' former NABARD managing director Dr K G Karmakar said.Officials have particularly expressed surprise about the deposits of over Rs 1,800 crore in Kerala, where agriculture is on the brink of collapse."The DCCBs in Kerala mostly serve marginal farmers and small businesses. It is worth investigating how these loan-dependent depositors deposited Rs 1,810 crore in a matter of five days," a top bureaucrat told TOI.Ditto in Punjab, whose 20-plus DCCBs recorded deposits of Rs 1,268 crore. Maharashtra, which has seen a steady decline in the cooperative movement and politicisation of district-level banks, ranked third highest, with deposits of Rs 1,128 crore between November 10 and 14."Farmers in Maharashtra are consuming pesticide as they are unable to repay loan sharks... The deposits reveal how the institution of the DCCB has once again been exploited by political overlords," a top official from the state agriculture department said.Speaking of the RBI's decision to ban DCCBs from depositing or exchanging the demonetised notes, a decision that has sparked protests and also been challenged in court , Karmakar added, "This was the best decision RBI could take as it not only curbed money laundering, but also the circulation of counterfeit notes. Many of these small banks do not have the facilities to identify counterfeit bills, which hikes the fraudulent activities further."