The Central Bureau of Investigation conducted searches at 25 locations in connection with a case of coins worth Rs 11 crore going missing from the vaults of an SBI branch in Karauli in Rajasthan.

The searches were spread across Delhi, Jaipur, Dausa, Karauli, Sawai Madhopur, Alwar, Udaipur and Bhilwara at the premises of around 15 former bank officials and others, officials informed PTI.

The issue came to light after the State Bank of India (SBI) branch decided to carry out counting of money after a preliminary enquiry indicated discrepancy in its cash reserve at Mehandipur branch in Karauli district in August 2021. Alarmed bank officials had roped in a Jaipur-based private vendor to do counting of coins supposed to be Rs 13 crore according to account books. To their shock, the vendor found only 3,000 bags carrying coins worth about Rs 2 crore coins while over coins of Rs 11 crore were missing from the branch.

It is also alleged that the employees of the private vendor who were doing the counting were threatened in the night on August 10, 2021 at the guesthouse where they were staying and were asked to refrain from the counting, the FIR has alleged SBI had approached the Rajasthan High Court seeking a CBI probe into the matter as the missing amount was higher than Rs 3 crore, the threshold for seeking a probe by the agency.