RBI container trucks with over Rs 1,000 cr stranded due to snag

CHENNAI: Two container lorries filled with currencies worth Rs 1,070 crore, which was on the way to Villupuram from the Reserve Bank in Chennai, were forced to halt in the National Institute of Siddha Hospital premise after one of the lorries faced a technical snag on Wednesday.

The two container lorries from the Reserve Bank in Chennai departed for Villupuram to deliver the currency notes to the banks in the district. According to sources, when the lorries were nearing Tambaram Sanatorium on the GST Road, smoke started to emit from one of the lorries. The police officers who were escorting the vehicle noticed the smoke and soon stopped both the vehicles and they were taken to the National Institute of Siddha in Tambaram due to security reasons.

The Tambaram police were informed and the police closed the gates of the hospital. Entry to the hospital was prohibited for a while. Since the mechanics could not rectify the issue, both the lorries returned to the Reserve Bank in Chennai after a while.

Police sources said each lorry had currency notes valued at Rs 535 crore and 17 policemen were escorting the lorries on the National Highway.