A meticulously planned gold heist from a bank locker in Basaveshwaranagar has led to the arrest of two individuals, including a female bank employee who allegedly assisted in the crime. The theft, involving gold ornaments worth ₹16 lakh, came to light in late December 2024 and has since been under active investigation by the Basaveshwaranagar Police.
The complaint was filed on January 18 by a bank manager residing in Byadarahalli, who had stored gold ornaments, a bank chequebook, educational certificates, and other documents in a locker at the Basaveshwaranagar branch. The locker had last been accessed and verified in May 2024. However, when it was reopened on December 30, approximately 200 to 250 grams of gold ornaments were found missing.
With only bank employees having access to the locker area, initial suspicion naturally pointed to internal involvement. Based on this, police launched a multi-faceted investigation, utilizing technical evidence and informant inputs.
On March 20, a breakthrough came when police detained a man residing in NGOS Colony, Kamalanagar. During interrogation, the man confessed to the crime, revealing that he had orchestrated the theft with the help of a female colleague who worked at the same bank. The duo allegedly used bank keys to open the locker, steal the gold, and then relocked it to make it appear undisturbed.
The stolen ornaments were sold to a jewelry shop located in Agrahara Dasarahalli. The male accused was produced in court on March 21 and remanded to nine days of police custody. His accomplice, the female bank staffer, was granted anticipatory bail on April 15 and has been cooperating with the investigation.
Subsequently, on May 13, police recovered 170 grams of stolen gold from the jewelry shop owner, with the seized assets valued at ₹16 lakh.
The investigation was led by Deputy Commissioner of Police (West Division) Girish S. IPS, under the guidance of Assistant Commissioner of Police (Vijayanagar Sub-Division) Chandan Kumar N. Inspector Chikkaswamy and his team at the Basaveshwaranagar Police Station played a pivotal role in cracking the case.
Authorities have assured continued scrutiny into similar insider threats and have urged banks to strengthen internal checks and locker room access controls.
Sources By Agencies
