According to multiple reports, the SBI has stated that coins worth Rs 11 crore have gone missing from its vaults. Furthermore, the coins were reported to have gone missing from the Rajasthan branch of Mehandipur Balaji.
SBI had approached the Rajasthan High Court seeking CBI to probe the case. They stated that since the missing amount is more than Rs 3 crore, the threshold for seeking a probe by the CBI.
Taking note of the situation, the High Court directed the CBI to take over the FIR previously filed by the Rajasthan police. The CBI promptly took over the case after the High Court’s direction.
The matter came to light when the SBI branch decided to audit the cash present in the branch. The audit came after a preliminary enquiry suggested a discrepancy in the cash reserve at the bank.
The bank hired a Jaipur-based vendor to count the coins worth Rs 13 crore which were present according to the branch’s account book. However, while counting, it was revealed that Rs 11 crore worth of coins were missing from the branch.
3000 bags of coins that held Rs 2 crore worth of coins were accounted for and transferred to RBI’s coin holding branch.
According to the FIR, on the night of April 10, 2021, employees of the private vendor who were involved in coin counting were threatened. They were threatened at the guesthouse they were staying at and were asked to refrain from counting them.
References: The Business Standard.
Featured image source: The Indian Express
