Cash worth over Rs 1 crore in the scrapped Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes was reported stolen from a bank in Odisha on Monday. Of the Rs 8 crore in the demonetised currency kept at Odisha Gramya Bank’s Dhenkanal branch, officials found Rs 1.15 crore missing, police said.
Superintendent of Dhenkanal Police Basant Kumar Panigrahi told PTI that they were examining CCTV footage from the bank. “We strongly suspect the involvement of some insiders,” he said, adding that they were surprised to find nearly Rs 7 crore was left untouched in the three boxes in which they were stored. Special teams have been formed to catch the robbers.
The country has been grappling with a cash crunch since the Centre demonetised the high-value currency notes, saying it was aimed at tackling corruption and black money hoarding. The Supreme Court had observed that the long queues seen outside banks since the move was announced was serious problem that could even lead to riots.
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