Banker Gambles Away Gold: 2.7kg Stolen from Lockers

An assistant manager at a nationalized bank in Bengaluru was arrested on February 13, 2026, for allegedly stealing nearly 2.7 kg of gold ornaments from customer lockers. The 34-year-old employee, Kiran Kumar, is accused of gradually siphoning off pledged gold over time by misusing his access to locker keys. The theft was discovered on January 2, 2026, when customers attempted to retrieve their jewelry.

A subsequent inspection revealed that gold ornaments were missing from 21 packets and entirely gone from three others, totaling 2,783 grams valued at approximately Rs 4 crore. Kumar confessed to pawning the stolen gold at various shops to fund his online betting and gambling habits. Police have recovered about 1.2 kg of the gold so far, with ongoing efforts to locate the remainder. Customers have been advised to routinely verify their locker contents.