JAJPUR: Gold worth over Rs 26 lakh has gone missing from a bank in Jajpur district, leading to the suspension of two employees. The gold theft came to light after authorities of the Baliapal branch of Indian Bank in Bari lodged a complaint with police on Saturday. Branch manager Umakanta Nayak and his assistant Amit Kumar Biswal have been placed under suspension for the incident.
Police said 11 packets of gold mortgaged under a loan scheme were found missing from the bank lockers.
The bank authorities came to know about the theft of around 495 grams of gold while conducting a routine check of the lockers last week. Zonal manager of Indian Bank, Cuttack Parikhita Dasmohapatra said the stolen gold belonged to customers. “Some customers had taken loans from the bank by mortgaging their gold.”
Dasmohapatra further said two bank employees were placed under suspension as they were responsible for keeping the locker keys safe. “We have filed an FIR in the local police station in connection with the theft,” he added. Officer-in-charge of Bari police station Prakash Chandra Sahoo said that based on the complaint, police have registered a case and started an investigation into the incident.