JAGATSINGHPUR: Two senior executives of Manappuram Finance Ltd have been booked after pledged gold amounting to Rs 11.03 lakh went missing from the Jagatsinghpur branch of the company.
The case has been registered against branch manager Srinibash Swain and assistant branch head Shreyalin Senapati. However, police are yet to make any arrests in this connection.
As per sources, Swain had filed a police complaint last week alleging theft of one packet of gold from the office. Though he had not named anyone in the complaint, it was during an inspection conducted by auditor Satish Kanakala into the matter that the disappreance of gold amounting to around Rs 11.03 lakh came to the fore. Later, a senior officer of Manappuram Finance Ltd, Kerala Butu Sarkar lodged an FIR at the Jagatsinghpur police station naming Swain and Senapati over the disappearance of seven packets of gold ornaments from the branch. He alleged the duo was responsible for the safekeeping of the branch’s assets and managing its transactions.
“In an official capacity, Swain holds the first key to the safe room, while Senapati has been given the second key as a safety measure. Both employees are responsible for appraising the gold in line with company guidelines. However, they allegedly violated these appraisal standards and internal guidelines, resulting in the disappearance of seven gold packets valued at Rs 11.03 lakh,” the FIR stated.
Jagatsinghpur IIC Gokula Ranjan Dash said no arrests have been made so far as investigation is still underway. Meanwhile, the entire incident has left customers enraged and worried about their assets.
Many customers who have lost their gold deposits are demanding that they be exempted from paying interest on their loans until the company compensates them for their losses.