“During the pandemic and before February 2021 the complainant alleged that he had kept his various gold and silver ornaments in the locker. Some of the ornaments were studded with precious stones which were kept in small boxes and pouches,” said an officer from DN Nagar police station. (Credit: Unsplash)
The DN Nagar police have registered a case against an unknown person after jewellery worth Rs 36 lakh was found missing from a private bank locker in Juhu. The locker belongs to an Andheri-based event manager, police said.
According to the police, the complainant, A Shah (54), is currently residing in Shastri Nagar, Andheri (West), and earlier lived in Juhu. Shah told the police that he had opened a savings account nearly two-and-a-half decades ago at a private bank branch on Juhu–Versova Link Road. In 2013, the bank identified him as a prominent customer and allotted him a locker free of charge.
Due to the lockdown, the complainant continued visiting the branch for banking transactions but did not check the contents of the locker. During this period, painting work was carried out at the bank and the locker room was also painted, the officer said.
The complainant claimed that he was not informed about the painting work. The incident came to light in September 2023 when he visited the bank with his locker key and opened the locker in the presence of a bank official, who also used the master key. He then suspected foul play as the contents were not arranged the way he had left them. On checking further, he allegedly found that several valuable gold ornaments kept in small boxes were missing, while the boxes were empty, said a senior officer.
According to the FIR, the missing items include two gold biscuits weighing 200 grams (two pieces of 100 grams each) worth Rs 12 lakh, two gold bangles worth Rs 9 lakh, several gold chains, gold ornaments studded with precious stones, and other silver ornaments, totalling Rs 36 lakh.
The complainant later spoke to a bank official and the branch organiser, identified as Shukla, who reportedly assured him that no one had accessed the locker in his absence. Shah then approached the DN Nagar police and registered a cheating case against an unknown person.
“We have been inquiring with bank employees and are trying to ascertain who stole the ornaments,” said a senior officer.