Government issues asks banks to stop cash transactions in vulnerable areas of Pulwama, Shopian

Srinagar/May,4: In wake of rising incidents of bank heist in South Kashmir, Government has issued an advisory to Jammu Kashmir Bank directing authoriteis to immediately stop cash transactions in 40 branches of twin districts Shopian and Pulwama in South Kashmir.
Jammu Kashmir Government in its advisory has declared 40 bank branches of Jammu Kashmir Bank located in Pulwama and Shopian as vulnerable and has directed the bank authorities not to do business in cash in these branches. “These branches will not be shifted and will function normally. However, a customer can neither deposit nor withdraw the cash. In a way, these bank branches will be cashless and will do business in receipt form only. A customer can deposit cash in the form of cheques and he can even transfer his money,” a JK Bank official said as quoted by local news gathering agency CNS.
The Bank official refuted the reports that some ATM’s have been shifted to safer places in South Kashmir.
Some of the branches that have been declared vulnerable in Shopian district include the branch at Pinjora, Keigam, Trenz, Imam Sahab and Kaprin while in Pulwama some of the vulnerable branches have been identified as Littar, Tahab, Achan, Koil and Drabgam.
Pertinently, this year six incidents of bank robbery took place in South Kashmir. In Turkwangam Shopian unidentified gunmen looted Rs 3 lakh on February 15 while on April 18, Hermain branch of JK Bank was targeted and Rs 12 lakh were looted from there. In Yaripora Kulgam, Rs 65,000 were looted from Elaqai Dehati Bank on May 2 while on May 3 unidentified gunmen looted two branches of Elaqai Dehati Bank at Wahibugh and Nehama Pulwama and looted Rs 620800. Besides, a JK Bank ATM carrying Rs 14,56,000 was stolen from Mominabad area of Anantnag district on January 18.