A woman who had travelled from Kawardha to Raipur to collect compensation following her son's death allegedly lost ₹1.60 lakh in cash shortly after withdrawing the money from a Punjab National Bank branch located on the Raipur court premises.
The woman, identified as Mamta Tiwari, told police that she discovered the money missing from her purse after travelling through the city in an e-rickshaw and an auto-rickshaw.
The Civil Lines police have registered a case against an unidentified person and started investigating the suspected theft.
Money Withdrawn From Court Premises Bank
According to the police complaint, Tiwari, a resident of Maharajpur village in Kawardha district, works in the Health Department.
She had travelled to Raipur with her husband, Khedan Tiwari, on September 10 in connection with compensation related to the accidental death of their son.
After completing the court-related work, she withdrew ₹1.60 lakh in cash from the Punjab National Bank branch located within the court premises.
The cash was reportedly kept inside her purse.
Woman Changed Two Vehicles on Way to Bhanpuri
After withdrawing the money, Tiwari and her husband reached the Chhattisgarh Mahatari statue near the city's multi-level parking area at around 4 pm.
From there, they travelled by e-rickshaw to Fafadih Chowk. They then changed vehicles and boarded another auto-rickshaw towards Bhanpuri Chowk.
It was after reaching Bhanpuri that Tiwari checked her purse and allegedly found that the entire ₹1.60 lakh was missing.
She informed her husband and advocate Niranjan Sahu about the missing cash.
Police Suspect Theft During Journey
Tiwari reportedly told police that she suspected someone may have taken the cash from her purse while she was travelling in one of the vehicles.
At this stage, police have not identified the person responsible for the alleged theft.
Investigators are examining whether the cash was stolen inside an auto-rickshaw or at another point along the route.
CCTV Footage Under Scanner
Civil Lines police are examining CCTV footage from the Punjab National Bank branch and the route from the court area through Fafadih to Bhanpuri.
Police are also expected to question the drivers of both vehicles used by the woman and her husband.
Investigators are checking the footage for anyone who may have been following the woman after she withdrew the cash.
The possibility that someone noticed the large cash withdrawal and followed her is also being examined, although police have not confirmed this theory.
Investigation Underway
The incident has prompted investigators to reconstruct the woman's movements from the time she left the bank until she noticed the missing money.
Police are collecting CCTV footage and other information that could help identify the suspect.
For now, the case remains under investigation and the identity of the alleged thief has not been established.
The incident also highlights the risk involved in carrying substantial amounts of cash after withdrawing money from a bank, particularly when travelling through crowded public transport and changing vehicles.
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