Chennai: With all leads hitting a dead end, CB-CID sleuths investigating the Rs 5.75 crore money train heist reported on August 9, are now pinning their hopes on demonetisation. “We have written to RBI to help us by informing us if anybody was found trying exchange large scale soiled notes in any banks across the country” a CB-CID official said.
From a total of Rs 342 crore soiled notes in the money wagon that was attached to the Salem — Chennai Express, Rs 5.75 crore in Rs 500 notes were found missing when the train reached Egmore on August 9 morning. A hole was found drilled in the roof of the wagon.
The sleuths believe that the robbers could not have pushed all the notes into circulation because such action will attract attention. With the government scrapping the Rs 500 and Rs 1000 notes last week, the robbers will be forced to take out the notes and exchange them now, the sleuths believe.
The CB-CID is expecting robbers to reach the counters of banks to exchange those stolen notes as it could be their last chance to use the money. They could also buy gold and the CB-CID believe that traders could alert them if anybody approaches them with soiled notes.
Of course, the sleuths are not sure if the money is still in Tamil Nadu or taken to any other state. It took six hours after the train reached Egmore terminus for the police to find the money had been stolen. There was enough time then for the robbers to cross borders of TN in their getaway.
