The report that ornaments have gone missing from the safety locker of a nationalised bank in Chennai is disturbing. This is the second such incident to be reported in the media in recent times.
When, out of curiosity and in my own interest, I spoke to a few bank officials about this, they said a safety locker cannot be opened without the customers’ key or in their absence. But in both incidents reported from Chennai, the complaints were made by the customers. The banks have a duty to prove their innocence if they are not at fault. The media, too, have a duty to obtain the details by following up on the incidents.
If the banks concerned are not at fault, they should issue a statement in newspapers on their transparent dealings regarding the maintenance and operation of bank lockers. Only then will the customers be assured that their valuables are safe.
V. Raghunathan,
Chennai
