Bank heist value hits Rs 2.8 crore

While the police are yet to get hold of the culprits involved in the Rs 2.85 crore theft case in which a 25-feet-tunnel was created to enter a public bank at Juinagar in Navi Mumbai and 30 of 225 lockers were broken into, customers who lost their valuables including cash, gold, silver and diamond ornaments are now asking how appropriate is it to call safe deposit vaults ‘safes’?

Customers have now come forward to file a case against Bank of Baroda and have decided to approached Bombay High Court after the bank refused to entertain any request for compensation to the customers. Many victims claimed that the bank officials informed them that no insurance policy has been acquired for the safekeeping of the lockers.

On Tuesday, Navi Mumbai police took statements of 28 out of 30 customers of Bank of Baroda’s Juinagar Branch who had availed safety locker facility. Remaining two customers are believed to be abroad on a business trip.

Sanpada resident and logistic firm employee Rajesh Jadhav, 40, and his wife Meena, are victims of a double whammy. A decade ago, Jadhav had lost gold and silver ornaments worth Rs 3 lakh after thieves had broken into their house.

“After that incident, we took the locker facility thinking our valuables will remain safe. Sadly, we lost Rs 5 lakh worth gold ornaments in this theft. People avail locker facility assuming houses are more prone to thefts, but now even banks are not safe,” said Jadhav.

Another Sanpada resident, Praveen Thakur, 35, who works as a clerk with Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation, was shocked after he learnt that Rs 80 lakh worth gold and silver ornaments were missing from his locker. Most of the ornaments in his locker were ancestral and were meant for his sister Pushpa’s wedding.

An official of Turbhe Railway Station, Amit Kumar, 39, a resident of Juinagar, lost gold ornaments worth Rs 7 lakh. Kumar had availed locker facility two years ago. “The bank should take the responsibility and compensate our loses,” said Kumar.

LEGAL TANGLE

• Navi Mumbai police took statements of 28 out of 30 customers of Bank of Baroda’s Juinagar Branch.  Two customers are out of station

• Many victims claimed bank officials informed them that no insurance policy has been acquired for the safekeeping of the lockers