No cash but clothes found in suitcases at CST’s cloakroom

When Central Railway officials opened the two suitcases found in the cloakroom of the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (CST) on Monday, they found only clothes as opposed to the Rs2 crore cash that an anonymous caller had told them about.

When Central Railway officials opened the two suitcases found in the cloakroom of the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (CST) on Monday, they found only clothes as opposed to the Rs2 crore cash that an anonymous caller had told them about.

HT Image

The suitcases had been deposited in the cloakroom on April 28 and April 29 and belonged to two separate passengers.

According to the rules of the cloakroom, the railways have to wait for a period of 30 days before opening any unclaimed baggage deposited there.

Government Railway Police (GRP) officers said that every bag in the cloakroom belonged to a bonafide passenger and therefore could not be opened without their consent.

Despite this, railway officials opened the two suitcases to verify their contents around 3pm on Monday and conducted a panchnama. The suitcases were opened in the presence of GRP officers and income tax officials.

“While one suitcase contained children's clothes including a school uniform, the other contained clothes of a young man,” a Central Railway press release stated.

Further, it was found that while one passenger had submitted an incorrect Passenger Name Record (PNR) number for a ticket that had been issued in 2006, the other passenger had not submitted a PNR number. Any passenger who wishes to use the cloakroom has to submit his PNR number.

“The railways need to verify the PNR number against every ticket. A passenger’s name and address should also be verified with the help of a photo identity,” a Central Railway official said, on condition of anonymity because of protocol reasons.

The mystery of the two suitcases began when the railway helpline received an anonymous phone call on Wednesday. The caller informed railway officials that Rs2 crore in cash, which was unaccounted for, was kept in the suitcases. A letter that corroborated what the called told officials was also sent to the Central Railway.