Two years after Salem train heist, CB-CID zeroes in on gang from Madhya Pradesh

Over two years after the sensational Salem train heist, the Crime Branch of the CID has cracked the case.

According to The Hindu, the midnight heist was carried out by a gang from Madhya Pradesh.

Speaking to the newspaper, one CB-CID official said, “We have established clear technical evidence, which confirms their involvement. While analysing suspicious mobile phone numbers that were active at the Salem junction and along the route between Salem and Villupuram, we found certain similarities between some numbers. The users were from Madhya Pradesh and belonged to the same locality there. Enquiries revealed that the notorious gang was involved in several crimes in north India.”

In August 2016, an amount of Rs 5.78 crore was stolen from 4 boxes out of the 226 boxes on a VPH (high-capacity parcel van) being moved from the Indian Overseas Bank, Salem, to the Reserve Bank of India, Chennai. The incident had come to light only at noon, even though the train had arrived at Chennai’s Egmore station at 4 am.

A 4 square-foot hole, through which a person could enter, was found drilled on the roof of the mail van, which was carrying soiled currencies worth Rs. 342 crore from Salem to Chennai on the Salem Express.

Authorities had initially suspected that the break in had happened along the un-electrified 137-km Salem-Virudhachalam route.

A day after the robbery, the case was transferred to the CB-CID.

While CCTV footage and other technical evidence gathered over two years led to the investigators zeroing in on the gang, they are yet to nab the suspects who are on the run.