Bengaluru: Bank employee arrested for unauthorised mortgage of customers' gold worth Rs 3.5 crore
Bengaluru (PTI): A deputy manager of a bank was arrested for allegedly misappropriating and unauthorisedly mortgaging 2,780 grams of gold ornaments belonging to multiple customers, worth over Rs 3.5 crore, police said on Saturday.
The alleged fraud came to light after the bank’s chief manager filed a complaint against the accused at the Girinagar police station on February 5.
Citing the complaint, police said the accused allegedly removed 2,780 grams of customers’ gold ornaments from bank lockers without informing higher authorities and pledged them with a finance company.
During the investigation, officials found prima facie evidence suggesting that the accused had spent the proceeds on online betting, police said.
"The accused deputy bank manager has been arrested in this case. We are trying to recover the gold. So far, about 700 grams have been recovered," said Lokesh B Jagalasar, Deputy Commissioner of Police (South).
"We are not getting the desired cooperation from the financiers. We will move the court and initiate appropriate legal action against them. Further investigation is underway," he added.
Police also advised customers to verify the safety and status of their ornaments kept in bank lockers.
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BJD accuses BJP govt of not making effort for special category status to Odisha
Bhubaneswar (PTI): The BJD on Saturday accused the BJP government in Odisha of not making any effort to fulfil the 2014 poll promise of a special category status for the state, and urged Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi to clarify on the long-standing issue.
Addressing a press conference here, BJD MP Sasmit Patra claimed that Minister of State for Finance Pankaj Chaudhary had on February 10 said in the Rajya Sabha that there was "no proposal under consideration" of the Centre for granting the special category status to Odisha.
“We need clarification from the chief minister. The BJP, in its 2014 election manifesto, had specified that if it came to power, the party would work towards special category status for Odisha. But the BJP government has not moved an inch to fulfil the poll promise," Patra alleged.
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He challenged the chief minister to get a nod from the state cabinet during its meeting this evening so that the state can place a demand for the special category status before the Centre.
The special category status for Odisha is a long-standing demand.
"The issue was raised for the first time in the National Development Council (NDC) in 1979. Thereafter, the assembly passed several resolutions for the special category status for Odisha, as the state often faces natural calamities and therefore requires special financial assistance to boost development. Resolutions to this effect were passed in the 10th and 11th assembly," an official said.
The previous BJD government had also undertaken a massive signature campaign, involving nearly one crore people, which was submitted to the then President.
