Tamil Nadu train heist: ‘Not informed’ about high-value cargo, says Railway Board

Railway authorities were not present when the boxes containing currency were loaded at Salem on Monday evening, and neither were Railway Protection Force (RPF) personnel present when the door of the wagon was opened.

Written by Avishek G Dastidar | New Delhi | Published:August 11, 2016

Robbers made a hole using gas cutters had entered the coaches. (Source: Express photo)

A DAY after the heist of more than Rs 5.75 crore of soiled currency notes from a coach of Salem Express, a preliminary assessment note of the Railway Board Wednesday said the Railways was not informed that it was a high-value consignment.

Railway authorities were not present when the boxes containing currency were loaded at Salem on Monday evening, and neither were Railway Protection Force (RPF) personnel present when the door of the wagon was opened in Chennai on Tuesday morning and the heist was noticed, according to the the Railway Board note. The padlock and seal on the wagon’s lock was found intact when the train left Salem Monday night, it notes.

According to the internal status note of the Railways Ministry, prepared by DIG (Railway Security) A N Mishra for Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu, the consignment — of boxes carrying the currency notes — was booked under “said to contain railway receipt”. As per Railway manual, the remark “said to contain” is recorded in railway receipt if no railway official is provided at a siding, or if the strength of railway staff is not adequate to check the weight or the number of packages loaded in a wagon.

The train also did not suffer any undue hold-up on way, and the heist came to light when one side of the door was opened around 11 am Tuesday, the note says. “A cut on the roof… from where light was emitting, was noticed…some wooden boxes were found broken, and currency bundles were found open,” it says.

Railways has registered a case under Section 3 of Railway Property (Unlawful Possession) Act, 1966, which attracts a maximum sentence of five years. DG, Railway Protection Force, has ordered an “intensive investigation” and pressed for early detection, and RPF has formed a crack team to solve the case.