CHENNAI, Aug 09: In a daring attempt, unidentified persons managed to gain entry into a coach in running train in which soiled currencies worth Rs 342 crore was being transported from Salem, a western city in Tamil Nadu, to the state's capital Chennai.
The currencies were reportedly belonging to a few public sector banks was being transported in a train from Salem to Chennai to hand over to Reserve Bank of India.
It is not yet clear how much of the currencies were stolen and at which spot the thieves managed to sneak out the cash boxes in the nearly 350 kilometer long journey the train took on Monday night.
According to police sources, 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.
The consignment was being transported with heavy security, including by a team headed by Assistant Commissioner of Police. It is unclear how the thieves could had drilled the hole on the roof of the coach, given that the electric cables will be very close above the coach.
The train is now stationed in an yard near at Egmore railway station in Chennai. A railway police source said since the cash boxes was being transported in cargo section, it will fall under the jurisdiction of the Railway Protection Force, which will investigate the case.
Police are trying to verify if the train was halted anywhere else during its journey or the thieves had managed to enter the coach before the train began its journey.(Inputs from Express News Service)
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