An assistant manager at a nationalised bank branch in Bengaluru has been arrested for allegedly stealing nearly 2.7 kg of gold ornaments from customer lockers and pawning them to finance online betting and gambling.
The accused, Kiran Kumar (34), was working at an Indian Bank branch when he allegedly misused his access to locker keys. Police said he gradually siphoned off small quantities of pledged gold, particularly during periods when the branch manager was absent.
The fraud came to light on January 2, when customers visited the branch to reclaim their pledged jewellery. During verification, officials noticed discrepancies. A detailed inspection revealed that ornaments were partially missing from 21 packets and completely missing from three packets.
Preliminary findings estimate that 2,783 grams of gold, valued at around Rs4 crore, had been stolen.
Following a formal complaint, police launched an investigation and took Kumar into custody. During initial questioning, he reportedly confessed to the crime. Investigators said he pawned the stolen gold at various outlets and used the money to fund online betting and gambling activities.
Police are continuing their probe to trace the pledged gold and examine whether others were involved in the theft.
