Do unclaimed bags in cloakroom hold a treasure?

Rs 2 crore rumoured to be found in two CST cloakroom suitcases; mobile number given by person who stowed it there is unavailable

Of late, the railways has been finding money in the most unusual places. The latest is a bag that was abandoned in the cloakroom at Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (CST), rumoured to contain Rs 2 crore. Earlier this year, a cupboard full of unaccounted cash was discovered at the Western Railway's Jagjivan Ram hospital in Mumbai Central. The Government Railway Police (GRP) helpline allegedly received a call on May 6 from a mystery caller who claimed that two crore rupees lay in two suitcases in the cloakroom at CST.


This is where the bag was deposited in the cloakroom. Pic/Satyajit Desai

The cloakroom attendant at CST said, "Luggage that is deposited here is scanned. Only a person with a valid long distance train ticket can use the cloakroom to keep luggage. We take the PNR number and the mobile number of the person depositing the luggage. Also, the luggage has to be locked, else it isn't accepted."

According to railway officials, the call was made to the GRP Wadibunder helpline. "One suitcase is brown in colour and was deposited on April 28 by a man named Diyali. The other one is a black and blue suitcase deposited on April 29 by a woman named Mamta." After scanning a couple of times it was found that there was no heavy metal or weapon in the bags which indicates that they could contain either important papers or cash.
Ashok Kumar Jadhav, Senior Police Inspector, GRP, said, "The bags are not in our custody. If the bags were left at the station, we would have been directly involved. The Railways is the custodian of the bags. Unless they approach us with an official complaint, we cannot act on it."

As per the procedure, the depositor is given a receipt while depositing luggage and cannot claim it without showing the said receipt. If luggage remains unclaimed 31 days after depositing it, an auction notice is issued. However, if the luggage contains cash, it is deposited in the Railway Revenue Account. In cases were the cash is upto Rs 20 lakh, it is opened in front of senior officers of both, the Railway Protection Force (RPF) and the GRP. If the cash exceeds Rs 20 lakh, the luggage is opened before an IT official along with senior officers from GRP and RPF.

According to railway officials, the suitcases were to be opened before IT officials on May 7 at 10 am, but that didn't happen. Jadhav said, "We have sent a letter to the DRM stating that if anyone comes to claim the luggage they should be presented before the GRP." Preliminary reports have revealed that the PNR number doesn't tally with the records and that the phone number given by the depositor is unreachable.

Cloakroom rules
>> Cloak rooms are 24-hour manned facilities at railway stations in India. Railway passengers can keep their luggage for a specific period of time.
>> Luggage can be stored only if a passenger has a valid long distance train ticket.
>> The charges vary from Rs 10 for 24 hours to Rs 457 for 31 days. If the luggage is not claimed for 31 days, the Railways reserve the right to auction the luggage.