Rs 99 lakh cash rots in police stns

That's part of the money, which is recovered in cases of robbery, gambling, etc, and saved in police lockers for years

For a state starved of cash, it's appalling that the Maharashtra government lost Rs 99,02,163, as the currency notes got spoilt and decayed after years of storage in around 950 police stations in the state.

State Home Minister Jayant Patil admitted this embarrassing truth recently while replying to a question raised by BJP's Vinod Tawde and Chandrakant Patil in the last session of the state legislature in Nagpur in December.

The home minister also said the state had Rs 22,28,65,286 in police lockers, of which Rs 99 lakh is now gone.
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Paise Ka Tamasha: The police keep the money recovered in various cases of dacoity, robbery, gambling, cheating and illegal transactions in their storage rooms at police stations till the cases are cleared by the various courts.

From robbery cases

The police recover money in various cases of dacoity, robbery, gambling, murder, accident, cheating, illegal transactions, etc and keep it in their storage rooms at police stations.

Till the cases are decided and judgments passed by various courts, the money remains with the police. In some cases, policemen have been found to misuse the money.

"The money recovered is sealed and put along with other files and evidence in the lockers.

However, this money could remain in the storage rooms for years till the cases are decided, as they are to be kept in the safe custody of the police.

On an average, a case of robbery takes around one-and-a-half years to be decided by the courts. The storage conditions are bad, therefore if the notes are kept for years, they are bound to get spoilt," said a police official.
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However, after a judgment is passed, the money is transferred to either to the police account in the bank or refunded to the rightful owner.

The home minister in his reply also said the state was examining the possibility of depositing this money in banks, so that the state could earn interest on the sum.