Shiv Sena leader alleges theft from Karnataka bank locker

In a shocking development, Shiv Sena (Shinde) deputy leader and former MLA Krishna Hegde has lodged a complaint with the police alleging a ‘theft’ of valuables from his safe deposit locker in the strong-room of the Parle East branch of Karnataka Bank in north-west Mumbai.

In his complaint lodged with the Vile Parle Police Station, Hegde said he had kept in his bank locker several valuables — including his mother’s jewellery, cash and some key documents — on September 19 and when he opened the locker on October 22, he found many of the items in it had gone missing.

Apart from his mother’s jewellery, cash and some key documents, the other items kept in his burgled bank locker included his licensed revolver and watches. “Some of the items in my locker have gone missing,” Hegde said. He, however, did not disclose the estimated value of the articles lost.

Following the “theft”, he had taken up the matter with the bank’s branch manager Manish Kumar, Cluster Manager Hari Sarin, DGM Rajgopala Bhatt and others on November 27.

On the following day, he submitted a formal theft complaint with Vile Parle Police Station Senior Police Inspector Gabaji Chimte; and a probe is underway.

Accusing the bank management of delaying the internal probe and attempting him to deter him from lodging a complaint, Hegde said, “The bank officials did not act quickly on my complaint. They called a Godrej key-maker and involved the bank’s internal vigilance. This was not to probe the theft, but to bury the matter and somehow deter me from filing a police complaint”.

“There is an utter lack of response from the Karnataka Bank’s top brass. I have sent several emails to the Managing Director and CEO, Raghvendra Bhat, but I have not received a single reply from him. The only responses I have received are from the very branch where my locker was burgled”.

Hegde alleged that the modus operandi behind the lock theft could be that the miscreants had made duplicate keys of mostly dormant lockers with the help of some unscrupulous locksmiths, as the banks already hold the ‘master key’ to all lockers.

While seeking stringent action is needed against all the offenders, Hegde said that banks must modernize security and surveillance systems. Bank customers deserve protection, not excuses.

Hegde said that he had approached the ombudsman of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) for necessary action in the matter.