Nineteen of the 30 locker holders at Bank of Baroda’s Juinagar branch who lost their valuables in a bank break-in last month have sent a notice to the bank seeking compensation for deficiency in services.
The customers warned on Thursday that if the bank does not pay them damages, they would approach the consumer redressal forum in Belapur.
Burglars had broken into the bank’s locker room by digging a 40-foot tunnel, and stolen valuables worth ₹3.43 crore from 30 lockers sometime during the weekend of November 11 and 12. The burglary was discovered on November 13, when the bank reopened.
‘Deficiency in service’
A Sanpada resident, who lost valuables worth ₹10 lakh, said,“The ornaments we lost had sentimental value for us. While some were wedding gifts, others had been passed down to us through generations. Following the theft, the family has gone through sleepless nights and depression. The burglary has clearly happened due to lack of proper security measures. There were no CCTV cameras, no security guards, nor was the strong room concretised. They did not even have a burglar alarm.”
Swapnil Kadam, the lawyer for the customers, said that as per RBI guidelines, the bank is not responsible for the valuables kept in the lockers, but it is responsible for providing safety and security to the lockers.
“We are claiming damages for that deficiency of service. For all the 19 people, the claim has come to ₹1 crore. If the bank does not agree to pay the compensation, we will file a legal case in the consumer forum,” Mr. Kadam said.
Shop tenant dead
Meanwhile, police investigations have revealed that Gena Bachan Prasad — real name Bhawar Singh — who had rented shop number 7 at Bhakti residency in Sanpada, died in Rajasthan before the theft was executed.
Singh had left the shop in September saying he was unwell, and informed the shop owner that two of his staff members would look after the shop. “While we are not sure what illness he was suffering from, we got to know that he had fever even when he was in Navi Mumbai,” a crime branch officer said.
Singh was allegedly promised 1 kg gold out of the loot, but after he died, the other suspects divided it between themselves. According to the police, his role was only to rent the shop and hire as shop staff the people who were going to dig the tunnel.
The police have arrested nine accused and recovered around 3 kg of the estimated 11 kg gold stolen. The main accused, Hajid Baig, has claimed to have given 3.5 kg gold to his sister, who is on the run.
