BHUBANESWAR: Cash worth Rs 30 lakh was recovered by the police from a car in Saheed Nagar in the city on Saturday evening. The cash was stacked in a red colour Duster which was parked at one end of Sparsh Hospital Road. There were 27 bundles of the scrapped Rs 1,000 notes amounting to Rs 27 lakh and 1500 currencies in new Rs 2000 notes valued at Rs 3 lakh.
The police were tipped off about registration number of the vehicle which was parked in Saheed Nagar carrying illegal cash. The police ascertained that the number belonged to a motorcycle.
A patrolling team rushed to the spot and seized the two-wheeler and a car parked parked close by. While a youth fled with the motorcycle, police detained two persons, including a woman, who were standing near the car. The car driver also escaped.
While searching the car’s boot, police spotted a bag which contained the currency notes. The detainees have been identified as Sumant Pradhan and Mamata Behera of Satyabadi area in Puri district.
The car owner has been identified as Ganapati Behera belonging to Kalasandhapur in Berhampur. A host of Amway products and a wallet were recovered from the vehicle. A couple of identity cards bearing the name of one LN Behera have also been seized.
“We suspect that the detainees were agents who were engaged in making a bulk purchase, possibly gold with the money. The vehicle, seizures and detainees will be handed over to Income Tax officials who will be taking over the case,” ACP Rabi Satpathy said.
The seizure of new Rs 2000 denomination notes worth Rs 3 lakh has raised several questions. While there is a cap on withdrawal and exchange of new notes, how could such a huge amount of new currency notes be in their possession is being probed.
SBI flags off mobile ATM van
Bhubaneswar: In a bid to ease out bank transactions for people in rural areas, the State Bank of India (SBI) on Saturday launched Gramin Mobile ATM Van which would go to the inaccessible pockets which are considerably distant from branches of nationalised and private sector banks. The vehicle equipped with an ATM machine was flagged off from the city to Nimapara Branch in Puri district where it would travel remote areas and deliver cash at doorsteps to debit card holders. Subsequently, the services will be extended to other places in the State. The mobile ATM van will be manned with four staff including two technicians, one security officer and a cashier, SBI sources said.