New Delhi: Rs 5.78 crore cash belonging to the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) was stolen from boxes being transported on a train from Salem to Chennai on Monday night.
According to reports, Rs 342 crore was being transported in 226 cartons kept in two compartments of the train. The currencies belonged to a few public sector banks and were being sent to the RBI.
The heist came to light only after the Salem Express reached Chennai around 3:55 am on Tuesday. A hole, enough for a person to enter, was found on the top of the railway coach in which currencies were carried in 226 boxes. When the train reached Egmore station, cops discovered that some of the boxes containing the currency notes had been tampered with.
The police found four cartons broken, with cash in one of them entirely missing.
Another box was half-empty and the third box had been opened, but cash in the box was just left scattered.
Reports said that police stations from Salem to Chennai have been alerted and all police inspectors have been roped into the investigation. Forensic staff is checking along the railway tracks for clues of the culprit, said reports.
The theft is baffling because the consignment was being transported with heavy security, including by a team headed by Assistant Commissioner of Police.
Police suspect the burglars could had exploited a few stretches along the route which are not yet electrified, said reports. The other explanation advanced is that the robbery took place when the Salem Express stopped at Virudachalam junction in Villupuram district and the engine was changed.
The train is now stationed in a yard near at Egmore railway station in Chennai, and the Railway Protection Force (RPF) is investigating the case.
