Hassan Police recovered 1.4 kg of gold worth ₹77.93 lakh from the person, accused of stealing gold ornaments from the SBI branch at Belawadi in Arakalgud taluk.
B.N. Lava, who was working as an attendant in the bank, allegedly took away gold ornaments mortgaged by customers for loans. Based on a complaint filed by SBI Assistant General Manager Anuradha T., the police registered the case on June 14 and conducted the investigation. The accused was arrested on June 17.
Hariram Shankar, Hassan SP, told the media on Thursday, June 22, that Lava was appointed to the bank as an outsourcing employee. Over the course of a year, the accused took away gold ornaments by replacing them with fake items. He could do that while keeping the packets in the lockers. This came to light when cashier Kishor Kumar checked the stock in May this year, before handing over the charge to another officer, as he was transferred. Gold jewellery worth over ₹94 lakh was missing. Later, the bank officials filed the police case.
The accused spent the amount for his personal use. He had been remanded in judicial custody. The SP has appreciated the efforts of Konanur Police in cracking the case and recovering the stolen gold.
