Ex-cashier held for 62L gold theft from PSU bank locker
Times of India | 8 September 2025
Kolkata: A former cashier-cum-vault manager of a nationalised bank in Bhowanipore, Arnab Biswas, was arrested in connection with the theft of 571 grams of gold jewellery from the bank locker.
The arrest came after an investigation revealed a forged signature was used to remove the gold, now valued at over Rs 62 lakhs.
The incident dates back to Aug 2017, when the complainant Siddika Khatun had kept 571 grams of gold and diamond jewellery as collateral to secure a Rs 9.4 lakh loan for her son's MBBS education.
"The loan was fully repaid by Jan 2018. But we did not immediately retrieve the pledged jewellery, as my mother was not staying in Kolkata," said Md Ayatollah, Khatun's son.
Pratyakumar Khan, the complainant's lawyer stressed that the full loan amount was repaid in less than six months. "Since the jewellery was stored in the bank locker at the time of the loan closure, my client didnt retrieve it immediately," he said.
Upon returning in 2024, the woman visited the bank intending to collect her jewellery but discovered the locker empty. She immediately went to the bank manager who told her that she took out the gold several years back and was shown a signature by bank authorities, which she alleged to be forged.
The family initially lodged a complaint with the bank, but the internal enquiry yielded nothing. A complaint was subsequently filed with Bhowanipore police, which was later taken up by detective department officials. "Forensic handwriting experts from Kolkata Police confirmed that the signature was forged. Further investigations indicated that the forgery occurred inside the bank and was carried out by individuals who had access to the vault," said Sourin Ghoshal, public prosecutor at Alipore Court.
Cops said they previously arrested another person in connection with the case. Continuing their probe, the police apprehended Biswas, who formerly worked as a cashier in charge of the vault. On Sunday, Biswas was produced before the Alipore Court, which instructed that he be held in police custody until Sept 16.
"We have got the former cashier in 9 days of police custody. We will question him to get further leads into the case," said a senior official of Kolkata police.