A policeman comes out of the Karachi Express compartment from which the prize bonds disappeared. PHOTO: PPI
Prize bonds worth roughly Rs30 billion from the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) went missing on Saturday while being transferred from Lahore to Karachi, police and central bank officials said.
The bonds, which were being transported by Karachi Express, went missing after the train reached Karachi’s Cantt railway station.
According to a spokesman for Railways Police, the train, which arrived later than scheduled, was sent to the washing line while still loaded with the bags carrying the bonds. Upon checking later, one of the 10 bags containing the bonds was found to be missing, he said.
Talking to The Express Tribune, a spokesman for the SBP confirmed that prize bonds worth approximately Rs30 million were stolen on Saturday.
“We have the serial numbers of all the missing prize bonds. They’re being cancelled immediately,” he said, adding that the stolen bonds will cease to have any legal value henceforth and hence cause no loss to the national exchequer.
Meanwhile, Railways Police have registered a case over the theft of the bond. An FIR was lodged at the Cantt railway station on behalf of state bank officer Anis Rizvi.
The police have also detained seven policemen, including one sub-inspector and a head constable, and a state bank officer, Riasat Ali, for investigation.
The Railways Police spokesman said the staff of the Karachi Express Train will also be included in the investigation. He added that forensic experts have also obtained fingerprints and investigators were waiting for forensic reports.
Published in The Express Tribune, May 11th, 2014.
COMMENTS
Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.
For more information, please see our Comments FAQ