Regional Manager of the State Bank of India here T.R.M. Raju has lodged a complaint with the Gara police that jewellery worth ₹4.07 crore is missing from the bank’s Gara branch, and has sought their help in its recovery.
Following agitations staged by the customers, the bank has sought the help of the police in the recovery of the gold ornaments pledged by the customers for availing of gold loan.
Despite assurances given by the officials, the customers have been staging protests in Gara for the last couple of days.
As per information provided by the police and bank officials, service manager Swapna Priya had allegedly stolen 89 bags containing gold ornaments on November 14. Following a complaint by branch manager Radhakrishna, the officials had initiated an internal inquiry and suspended the accused in the case.
As inquiry began, Swapna Priya had reportedly handed over 80 bags, and said that she was not aware of the remaining nine. Swapna Priya had reportedly said that she had taken the bags to pledge them in a private company.
However, with the bank officials mounting pressure on her and following continuous protests by the customers, Swapna Priya had attempted to end her life on November 29, and died while undergoing treatment in a private hospital in Visakhapatnam the following day.
The bank officials were now seeking the help of the police in identifying all the culprits involved in the case as their internal probe did not yield result due to the death of Swapna Priya.
