Ahmedabad: The Kalupur police have made further headway in the investigation of the Rs 8.7 crore theft from the RBI currency chest at the Bank of Baroda's Kalupur branch by arresting two more suspects and recovering Rs 60 lakh in cash from their possession, officials confirmed on Sunday.
New Arrests in the Case
The latest arrests come just days after the police apprehended the prime accused, Harsiddh Kadiyar, who served as a joint custodian at the bank. Kadiyar is alleged to have siphoned off the money over several months and manipulated records on the RBI's e-Kuber portal to conceal the shortage. The newly arrested individuals have been identified as Zulfikar Ansari (57), a labourer, and his son Sultan Ansari (26), both residents of Vatva. According to the police, the duo conspired with Kadiyar and actively assisted in removing cash from the currency chest.
Details of the Theft
Investigations have revealed that the theft occurred between January and May this year, during which Rs 8.7 crore was allegedly stolen from the currency chest. The fraud came to light after an internal audit was conducted following Kadiyar's sudden absence from work. The audit uncovered that 174 reams of Rs 500 notes were missing from the chest. Police scrutiny of CCTV footage showed Kadiyar entering the branch along with the two accused and later leaving with several boxes that were reportedly labelled as scrap material. Authorities suspect that the cash was smuggled out in those boxes.
Recovery and Remand
Following the interrogation of the main accused, the police tracked down the father-son duo and arrested them on Saturday night. The court has granted a three-day remand of both accused for further questioning. So far, the police have recovered Rs 2.85 crore in cash, an Ertiga car valued at Rs 6 lakh, and three mobile phones, bringing the total recovered property to Rs 2.91 crore. The investigation is ongoing, and authorities are working to trace the remaining stolen amount.
