Dewas: A major security lapse was detected at high-security Government of India’s Bank Note Press in Dewas where a senior officer was caught pilfering currency notes from the press on Friday, police said.
Manohar Verma, a deputy control officer in Notes Verification (NVF) Section was arrested by the Dewas police after Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) caught him red-handed stealing currency notes. During frisking, currency notes tune of Rs 64 lakh was seized from his home and over Rs 26,09,300 lakh from his office chamber – indicating theft of over Rs 90 lakh.
Police produced him before court from where police got his police remand till January 22. Matter was reported to finance ministry as well. Bank note press police station in charge Umrao Singh informed that CISF sub-inspector Vikas Choudhary lodged complaint against Verma on Friday. Singh said that paramilitary force deployed for the security of the BNP building caught Verma around 8 am with Rs 26.09 lakh in currency notes which he allegedly stole from the unit he was employed in. CISF personnel deployed at the corridor of the NVF section, noticed Verma suspicious activities hiding some item in one of the empty wooden boxes in a CCTV, a CISF official said.
During frisking, the CISF personnel recovered two bundles of currency notes in the denomination of Rs 200 concealed inside Verma’s shoes.
Subsequently, a CISF team searched Verma’s office and recovered Rs 26.09 lakh in currency notes of Rs 500 and Rs 200 denomination. Verma was in the officer category and as per procedure his clothes and shoes cannot be removed during checking while going out of the premises of high security zone of BNP, the CISF official said.
The official, along with the recovered notes, was handed over to police for further action. Later during interrogation, Verma revealed that he had been stealing out the notes since about two and half months, but investigators believe the breach and theft was continuing since a longer time. Verma was posted at the crucial bank note printing unit in April and he might have been involved in the theft since long time, sources said.
