Recovered items will go to PNB’s Sonepat branch

BS Malik

Sonepat, December 24

Sub-divisional Judicial Magistrate (SDJM) Nidhi Bansal today amended her earlier order with the direction that the cash and ornaments recovered from the accused in the Gohana PNB bank heist case would be kept in the bank lockers in Sonepat instead of Gohana.

The order was amended after the Punjab National Bank (PNB) authorities submitted that it would be unsafe to keep the recovered cash and ornaments in the building of the bank’s main branch in Gohana, as 77 lockers in the same building were broken and cash and ornaments looted.

The SDJM also directed the police to prepare a detailed inventory list of the recovered articles and produced it in the court on January 12. The inventory list has to be attested by the police, bank authorities and Gohana SDM.

The court ordered that the recovered ornaments should be weighed on the goldsmith’s scale and it must be mentioned whether the ornaments were of gold or silver. The SDJM clarified that after receiving the inventory list, the court will decide on which date the bank authorities would submit Rs 5 crore as security bond.

After receiving the security bond, the court will give the next date for giving possession of the recovered articles to the bank authorities. Till then, the articles will remain in police custody.

The police had arrested nine accused and recovered cash amounting to Rs 3.73 lakh and about 50 kg of gold and silver ornaments from them.