4 men decamp with valuables from NRI's locker; bank mgr held

Four men posing as 'brothers' of an NRI allegedly opened his safe vault at a nationalised bank here and decamped with valuables worth about Rs 12 lakh after producing his fake death certificate and will, the police said today.

The police has arrested the bank's manager and one of the impostors in connection with the incident.

The impostors allegedly opened the locker in January this year but the offence came to light in February when the NRI, settled in USA, visited the bank for opening his safe vault, Deputy Commissioner of Police Manish Singh told PTI.

The Non-Resident Indian (NRI) had last operated his safe deposit in the bank in April 2007, the police said.

As per the bank records, hehad nominated his wife and daughter to operate the locker in his absence.

However, when the NRI came to operate it in February, the manager of the bank, located on the Rajmahal Road here, informed him that his four "brothers" had opened the locker on January 13 byproducing his "death certificate" and a "will" stating that they were his legal heirs, Singh said.

Before going back to the US, the NRI lodged a complaint in this connection at the Navapura police station on February 26 against the five people - the branch manager and the four impostors.

Based on the complaint, the police started an investigation into the case and arrested the bank manager and and one of the impostors late last night, Singh said.

A search was on for the other three accused, who are brothers of the arrested impostor, he said.

The nationalised bank also registered a complaint with the Navapura police in connection with the case.

Offences were registered against the accused under IPC sections for cheating, forgery, criminal breach of trust, mischief and criminal conspiracy, police sub-inspector A R Mahida said.

An officer investigating the case said the four men did not have the vault's key and despite that, the branch manager allowed them to open it after breaking its lock, and permitted them to take away all the valuables.

The manager neither inform his seniors, nor followed guidelines of the Reserve Bank of India while allowing the four men to open the NRI's safe vault, he said.

There is clear involvement of the bank manager in the crime, Singh said.