Jammu court seeks police report in ₹550-crore Vaishno Devi silver pilferage case

A Jammu court has asked Katra police to file a detailed enquiry report on alleged "adulteration", pilferage and misappropriation of nearly 20 tonnes of silver offerings at the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine [Deepak Sharma, Advocate V/s Inspector General of Police, Crime Branch, Jammu].

The silver is reportedly worth around ₹550 crore. According to NDTV, the shrine board in May had sent around 20 tonnes of silver offerings to a government mint for standard melting and storage.

During the process, it was reportedly found that the silver dispatched by the shrine board was fake and that only 5% of the 20 tonnes was established as real silver.

On July 29, Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM) Munish Kumar Manhas directed the police to take appropriate action on an application seeking immediate preservation of physical, documentary and electronic evidence connected with the matter.

The Court asked Deputy Superintendent of Police at Bhawan in Katra "to file detailed report regarding the enquiry being conducted by him".

The complaint was filed by advocate Deepak Sharma seeking a status report/action taken report on a complaint earlier submitted by him to the Inspector General of Police of Crime Branch, Jammu and the Senior Superintendent of Police, Crime Branch (Economic Offences Wing), Jammu.

According to a preliminary status report placed before the Court, the complaint was processed through Crime Headquarters at J&K which approved its referral to the Zonal Police Headquarters in Jammu.

It was thereafter forwarded to the Inspector General of Police of Jammu Zone who sent it to the SSP of Reasi. The case was ultimately entrusted to the DySP of Katra for enquiry.

The report indicates that the matter is still at the enquiry stage and no FIR has been registered.

The matter has been listed for further hearing on August 18.