Tracking the heist: Parcel van in focus came from Ernakulam

Consignment of soiled currency moved from Salem to Chennai six times this year.

The parcel van in which soiled currency totalling Rs. 325 crore was transported from Salem Junction to Chennai Egmore on Monday night had arrived from Ernakulam.

Salem Railway Division sources told The Hindu on Wednesday that Indian Overseas Bank had made a ‘wagon demand registration’ for transporting the currency with the commercial branch of the Salem Railway Division more than a week ago.

This request was forwarded to the Southern Railway headquarters in Chennai for its clearance. As a full vacant parcel van was available only in Ernakulam, the office of the operating branch of the Southern Railway directed the moving of the van from Ernakulam to Salem.

The parcel van was brought to Erode Junction from Ernakulam via Coimbatore on Sunday night.

It was detached at Erode junction and taken to the goods yard.

Again, the empty van was attached to the Erode–Salem–Mettur Dam passenger train which left Erode Junction at 5 a.m. on Monday.

On the arrival of the parcel van at Salem junction at about 6.30 a.m., it was moved to the goods yard immediately.

The cash was brought in 226 wooden boxes and was loaded on the parcel van by workers brought by the bank in the evening hours in the presence of police.

Sealed by bank officials

The van was sealed by the bank officials and also by the railway staff in the presence of RPF personnel.

It remained in the goods yard for more than 4–5 hours under police security.

Later, the loaded van was attached to the Salem Junction–Chennai Egmore train at about 8 p.m. and the train departed at its scheduled time of 9 p.m.

Sources said that banks transported soiled currency regularly to the Reserve Bank of India, Chennai, by parcel vans.

Parcel vans with loads of currency had been sent to Chennai from Salem six times from January till July end this year.

Similarly, between April and July, currency loads were sent from Coimbatore to Chennai in parcel vans once every month, the sources added.

Even though transportation of the currency is kept confidential, officials of the commercial department of the respective division, the parcel office at the respective stations, the Office of the Chief Operations Manager, Southern Railway, and the Office of the Chief Passenger Traffic Manager, Southern Railway, need to be informed.