The CBI on Thursday conducted searches at 25 locations across the country in connection with the disappearance of coins worth Rs 11 crore from the vaults of an SBI branch in Karauli in Rajasthan.
The searches were conducted in Delhi, Jaipur, Dausa, Karauli, Sawai Madhopur, Alwar, Udaipur, and Bhilwara on the premises of around 15 former bank officials, branch manager/joint custodian and cash officers among others in the ongoing investigation in the case.
The matter came to light after the State Bank of India (SBI) branch decided to carry out the counting of money after a preliminary enquiry indicated discrepancies in its cash reserve at the Mehandipur branch in the Karauli district in August 2021.
Alarmed bank officials had roped in a Jaipur-based private vendor to do counting of coins supposed to be Rs 13 crore according to account books.
To their shock, the vendor found only 3,000 bags carrying coins worth about Rs 2 crore, while coins of Rs 11 crore were missing from the branch.
It is also alleged that the employees of the private vendor who were doing the counting were threatened in the night of August 10, 2021, at the guesthouse where they were staying and were asked to refrain from the counting, the FIR has alleged
SBI had approached the Rajasthan High Court seeking a CBI probe into the matter as the missing amount was higher than Rs 3 crore, the threshold for seeking a probe by the agency.
On the high court’s directions, the CBI has taken over the FIR earlier registered by the Rajasthan Police. Incriminating documents recovered during searches are being scrutinised and the investigation is continuing, it added.