Thief feigns toothache to smuggle currency note from security press

 NK SINGH

It may not be prudent to have a toothache if you are an employee at the Government's bank note press at Dewas, near Indore, in Madhya Pradesh. Not since one of the workers, who had duped the security staff into believing that he had tooth trouble, allegedly smuggled four 50-rupee notes by concealing them in his mouth.

The supposedly foolproof security system of the printing plant, complete with closed-circuit television cameras scrutinizing movement of the staff and under-underwear pokes known as the "naked searches", failed to curb the temptation to steal from heaps of currency notes.

There have, however, been two reported instances of missing bank notes at the press which began churning out bank notes in March 1975. The mystery of fifteen 100-rupee notes of 5AS series (558486 to 558500) that vanished into air in January this year remains unsolved despite the Rs 1,500 reward offered for clues.

The entire series of 1000 notes (printed at the cost of Rs 135) had to be cancelled. The management of the Dewas press are keeping the fingers crossed that their establishment is still free from pilfering that plagues the old India Security Press at Nasik.

Only the workers and not the supervisory staff are searched on the premises. One pass is issued between three workers for going to the lavatory or the canteen so that there is also a human eye besides the electronic one to keep a watch. Workers grudge this partial treatment and claim that the supervisory staff were found guilty of malpractices at the Nasik plant.

The management, on the other hand, think that "growing indiscipline" among the workers and increasing interference by the labour unions is to blame for the slackness in the security system. The police case against the "thief with the toothache" is pending. May be soon one would find a doctor on the security staff too.

India Today

July 1, 1978