₹50 Lakh Jewellery Found Missing From SBI Locker
A woman in Kanpur has alleged that jewellery worth around ₹50 lakh disappeared from her State Bank of India locker, leading police to register a case against the branch manager and unidentified bank employees.
The complainant, Rashmi Arora, had opened the locker in 2003 at the then State Bank of Travancore branch. After her husband’s death, she moved to Lucknow and did not operate the locker for several years.
Locker Charges Continued To Be Deducted
The issue came to light after Arora visited the Swaroop Nagar branch around four months ago and learnt that the earlier State Bank of Travancore had merged with SBI.
She alleged that although locker charges continued to be deducted from her account, bank officials initially told her that they could not locate or confirm the existence of her locker.
The bank later confirmed the locker details after she produced account documents and records showing that locker charges had continued to be deducted.
Woman Opens Locker After Years
On July 21, Arora deposited the required locker charges and received confirmation about her locker.
However, she did not have the key with her at the time and therefore could not open it.
She returned to the bank on July 27 with the locker key. When she finally opened the locker, she allegedly found it completely empty.
The jewellery she had reportedly kept inside, valued at around ₹50 lakh, was missing.
Police Book Bank Manager And Staff
Arora subsequently approached the police and alleged that bank officials had conspired to misappropriate her jewellery.
Following her complaint, Commissioner of Police Raghubir Lal ordered an investigation on August 6.
Swaroop Nagar police registered an FIR on August 10 against the branch manager and unidentified employees.
The allegations have not yet been established, and the investigation is currently underway.
Police Examine CCTV And Bank Records
Investigators are examining the bank’s records, locker-related documents and CCTV footage to determine what happened to the jewellery.
Police will also examine the history of the locker and establish whether and when it may have been accessed in the intervening years.
The investigation is expected to determine whether the jewellery was removed by someone with authorised access, whether there was any lapse in the bank’s locker management, or whether another explanation exists.
A Serious Question Over Bank Locker Security
The incident has raised questions about the security and management of bank lockers, particularly those that remain unused for long periods.
In this case, the locker reportedly remained inactive for years while charges continued to be deducted from the account.
The fact that the locker was allegedly initially not traceable by bank officials has added another layer to the complaint.
For now, however, the police investigation will have to establish exactly when the jewellery went missing and who may have had access to the locker.
Summary
A Kanpur woman has alleged that jewellery worth around ₹50 lakh disappeared from her SBI locker, which she had opened in 2003 and left unused for several years after moving to Lucknow. She said locker charges continued to be deducted from her account, but bank officials initially could not confirm the locker existed. After opening it on July 27, she allegedly found it empty. Police have booked the branch manager and unidentified staff and are examining bank records and CCTV footage.
