’Treasure’ in bags proves to be damp squib

An anonymous call that two suitcases deposited at CST cloakroom were stashed with cash turns out to be a hoax; GRP and railways play blame game

'Treasure' in bags proves to be damp squib

An anonymous call that two suitcases deposited at CST cloakroom were stashed with cash turns out to be a hoax; GRP and railways play blame game

When the Government Railway Police (GRP) helpline received a mysterious call on May 6 stating that two bags in CST cloakroom are stashed with cash, the railways saw green, expecting another case of finding money in the most unusual places. However, the call turned out to be a hoax when the two bags in question were opened yesterday in presence of the Railways Protection Force, GRP authorities and personnel from the Income Tax Department.

Ashok Kumar Jadhav, senior police inspector, GRP, said, "The bags were opened yesterday around 3.30 pm and no objectionable items were found. One bag contains school uniforms, bed sheets, towels and night dresses of children, while the other has the clothes of a young man.

"There is no cash and the bags are now in the custody of the commercial department of central railway, locked up and put back in the cloak room." The police also retrieved a personal diary belonging to a man, who the police believe, hails from Kerala. In the bag with the children's clothes, some papers from St Peter's school in Sandhurst Road were also found.

Blame game
The railway is attracting flak for their reckless operation in the cloakroom. The cloakroom attendant failed to note down the PNR number of the lady, Mamata, who deposited the one of bags. "Our staff goofed up by not taking down the PNR of the lady. This is being investigated," said a senior Central railway official.

Also, the PNR number provided by Biyali, the person who deposited the other bag, turned out to be incorrect. "We checked the PNR number given by the man and the ticket is a Southern Railway ticket issued to R Moses in 2006", said another railway official.

The railway is claiming that the GRP is not doing its work properly. However, the GRP says that the railway is not providing them adequate information for carrying out the investigation.

Unusual find
This is not the first time that the railways have received a call reporting the possibility of cash in suitcases.
Earlier this year, a cupboard full of unaccounted cash was discovered at the Western Railway's Jagjivan Ram hospital in Mumbai Central.