08 May, 2017
In the wake of a series of robberies blamed by the police on separatist militants, the authorities in Jammu and Kashmir have stopped cash transactions at about forty branches in southern districts of Shopian and Pulwama.
Sajjad Bazaz, Corporate & Communications Head, of the bank said the management has made a decision to move cash transactions to "safer" branches.
Within a span of two hours, two banks were robbed by militants on Wednesday in Pulwama district of south Kashmir which has been witnessing attacks on bank assets for the last three days in a row.
Bazaz said that there was a security advisory that "we should temporarily shift cash transactions from branches operating in some vulnerable areas".
Pertinently, this year six incidents of bank robbery took place in South Kashmir.
"Armed robbers have looted cash from Nehama village branch of the J&K Bank in Pulwama district".
Other banking operations, including cashless transactions and ATM services, will continue to take place. "We need to devise special security measures to deal with the kind of situations we face", Drabu said at the meeting.
The cash facility will be only be provided at district headquarters branches of banks.
Various measures like providing additional armed security guards at these branches and having bullet-proof cash-vans have been discussed, the official said.
She said police and bank personnel, killed in Kulgam, were on the duty to protect and disburse public money and their killing reflects the risky criminalisation turn the society is taking.
A few days back, militants had opened fire at a cash delivery van of a bank in Kulgam, killing five police constables and two bank officials.
