UP: Rs 2.77 cr stolen from bank; constable, staff suspect

Constable Sriprakash Singh, accused in the case, faces charges under Sections 380 (theft in dwelling house) and 457 (house breaking in order to commit offence punishable with imprisonment) of the IPC.

According to the police, there were two constables, Singh and Shravan Kumar, from Deoria Reserve Police Line deployed at the bank as security guards. Singh, who was on duty on Friday, is absconding.

Police is also investigating two bank employees who have not reported for work since the alleged theft, which is suspected to have taken place around 2 pm on Friday when the Ansari Road branch of the bank was closed for Good Friday.

Deoria SP Manoj Kumar said the bank officials claim they had kept the stolen amount — Rs 2.77 crore — in a trunk in the room in front of the currency chest room on the night of March 31.

“It is their negligence that they did not keep the money in the currency chest room and kept it in another room which was not very secured. There is a possibility that the bank employees could be involved. We are investigating into it,” Kumar said.

He added that the CCTV footage shows a man inside the bank at the time of the theft and that the man looks similar to constable Singh, a resident of Azamgarh district, who had been posted at the bank two months ago.

While Singh was supposed to be accompanied with another constable Shravan at the time of duty, the latter came at night as the duo had decided between themselves to divide the duty hours instead of working at the same time. The SP said action is being initiated against Shravan, too.

Kumar said constable Singh had joined the UP Police in 1991 and was dismissed in 2000 for allegedly murdering his wife. He was reinstated in 2011 on the orders of the Allahabad High Court.

“We are collecting more details about him. His location is also being traced. We suspect that he could be hiding at one of his relatives’ place,” the SP said.