An assistant manager at a bank in Bengaluru has been arrested for stealing gold from the bank. The gold belonged to customers who had given it to the bank as security while taking loans. The man, Kiran Kumar, worked at the Girinagar branch of Indian Bank. Because of his job, he had access to the locker keys where the gold was kept. Over time, he slowly and secretly took gold jewellery from the lockers without anyone noticing. The customers trusted the bank to keep their gold safe, but he misused his position and stole it over time.In total, he stole 2.7 kilograms of gold, worth about ₹4 crore. He then pawned this gold at different shops and used the money for online betting and gambling.
The theft was discovered on January 2, when customers came to take back their jewellery after repaying loans. Bank staff noticed that some packets were partly empty and some had no gold at all. After checking, they found gold missing from 24 packets. The bank complained to the police, and Girinagar Police arrested the accused. So far, the police have recovered 1.2 kg of the stolen gold. They are trying to find the rest, but some people who received the gold are not cooperating. Police may ask the court for help to recover it.
This case has raised worries about bank security and monitoring. Officials say customers should regularly check their pledged valuables to avoid such frauds. The incident shows how misuse of power and weak checks inside banks can cause big financial losses and reduce people’s trust in banks.
