FIROZABAD: A significant discrepancy has come to light at a Bank of India branch in Uttar Pradesh's Firozabad district. Gold that was pledged by customers as security for loans has allegedly disappeared from a locker, according to police reports on Thursday.
Missing Gold Packets
Officials have stated that 96 packets of pledged gold were found missing from the locker at the Bharaul branch. The bank's Agra regional office chief manager, Aditya Pratap Singh, lodged a First Information Report (FIR) at the Araon police station on Wednesday night. The complaint named three employees, including the former branch manager.
Employee Absence Sparks Suspicion
Superintendent of Police Aditya Langhe revealed that the complaint highlighted that Dilip Kumar, a bank staff member and key custodian from Basgaon village in Etawah district, had been absent without notice since May 27. This absence brought locker-related operations to a standstill. Repeated attempts to contact him failed, leading to suspicion and escalation to the Agra regional office. Subsequently, senior security manager Ankit and senior manager (security) Sushil Kumar from the Ghiror branch were deputed to the Bharaul branch on June 15.
Investigation and Discovery
Police arranged for a duplicate key, and the locker was opened in the presence of the bank's panel advocate, Shiv Kumar Sharma. The entire process was video recorded. Upon opening, officials discovered that 96 gold loan packets were missing. Although the FIR did not specify the weight or value of the missing gold, police suspect it is worth crores of rupees.
Legal Action
An FIR has been registered under Section 316(5) (criminal breach of trust) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita against former branch manager Sandeep Yadav, staff officer Dilip Kumar, and credit officer/staff officer Naresh Kumar, a resident of Hathras district. Araon police station in-charge Rishi Kumar confirmed that an investigation has been launched. Teams, including the surveillance unit, have conducted raids at multiple locations to trace the accused and recover the missing gold.
(With PTI inputs)
