The Salem-Chennai Express debuted in 2008. On Tuesday, officials discovered robbers had cut through the roof of a train transporting old currency notes for the Reserve Bank of India. Photo by Wikimedia Commons/Arulmuru182002

CHENNAI, India, Aug. 10 (UPI) -- Police in India are trying to crack the "great train robbery" of more than $860,000 in bank notes.

Robbers had cut a through the roof of the Salem-Chennai Express, which was transporting $51 million worth of soiled rupee from Salem to Chennai for the Reserve Bank of India. They took the money after breaking open two of the 226 wooden trunks on board.


Bank of India officials discovered the robbery when the train reached Chennai's Egmore railway station Tuesday. They found two trunks open and the money gone.

Some currency notes in smaller denominations were found scattered on the floor.

The 19-coach train left Salem on Monday night with the 25 tons of currency.

The money was collected from five banks in Salem, located 217 miles southwest of Chennai, and was going to be destroyed.

Police say they believe that a group of six to eight robbers may have been involved in the heist.

"We are leaving nothing to chance and are looking into every angle, including the possibility of it being the handiwork of a gang from outside the state," a senior police official associated with the probe told the Hindustan Times.

Investigators have picked up fingerprints left by the robbers and are checking with the database of known train thieves.

Some media in India are calling the heist "the great train robbery."