CCTV cameras at railway stations between Tambaram and Egmore have not been able to capture the four-foot hole on the roof of a mail van during a trial run as part of the probe into the Rs. 5.7 crore heist on the Salem-Chennai Express.
In an attempt to re-enact the scene, CB-CID police cut a hole and operated the mail van from Tambaram to Egmore on Saturday to find out if the heist took place during the last leg of the journey.
The trial confirmed CCTV cameras did not have the capacity to capture the hole the robbers had cut on the roof of the mail van of Salem-Chennai Express.
The hole cut by the culprits was not seen in the CCTV footage obtained from Tambaram, said a source in the department. This, police believe, could be an indication the heist took place at the Chetpet yard where the train was for some time.
Police are now analysing if it is possible to cut open the roof on a fast moving train.
A day after the robbery, the case was transferred to CB-CID. Officers recreated the event and cut open a hole using a battery-operated saw and conducted a trial run but remain clueless about the culprits.
“Poor lighting, vibration and other issues resulted in poor CCTV image quality.
The camera was not able to capture the hole. Moreover, the hole was on the roof and the camera was not positioned properly to capture the top part,” said a member of the investigation team to The Times of India.
“Since the train was in motion, the image is not clear. Moreover, in all stations, CCTV cameras are placed only on the platform and failed to capture or focus on the ceiling,” he said.
The 10-member CB-CID team is likely to question a few top officials aware of the transportation of the soiled notes on the train.