Kanpur Woman Alleges ₹50 Lakh Jewellery Missing From SBI Locker, FIR Against Branch Manager

Kanpur witnesses a significant incident as a widow claims a substantial loss of jewelry worth approximately Rs 50 lakh from her State Bank of India locker. Police have lodged a formal complaint, known as an FIR, against the branch manager and some unidentified staff members. The case came to light when Rashmi Arora, a resident of Kaushalpuri, lodged an FIR on August 10, accusing the bank officials of misappropriating her property.

Arora had opened a savings account at the erstwhile State Bank of Travancore branch in Kanpur in 2003. After her husband's demise, she moved to Lucknow and refrained from using the locker for a few years. Recently, she learned about the merger between the State Bank of Travancore and SBI, but faced issues accessing her locker. Initially, bank officials continued to deduct locker charges from her account even after the merger, which frustrated Arora.

On July 21, after depositing the locker charges, bank officials confirmed the existence of her locker number. However, she could not open the locker on the same day as she lacked the key. When she returned with the key on July 27, she discovered the locker completely empty. In her FIR, Arora accused the bank officials of initially denying the existence of her locker and only acknowledging it after she presented account documents and records revealing the deduction of locker charges. She further accused the branch manager and staff of conspiring to steal the jewelry.

Following the complaint, Commissioner of Police Raghubir Lal directed an investigation on August 6. Subsequently, on August 10, the Swaroop Nagar police registered an FIR against the branch manager and unidentified employees. Station House Officer Devendra Singh stated that the police are currently examining the bank's records, locker-related documents, and CCTV footage. Further actions will be taken based on the evidence gathered during the investigation.