Kanpur widow alleges SBI staff stole her Rs 50 lakh jewellery from locker

A Kanpur widow has accused SBI staff of emptying her bank locker of jewellery worth about Rs 50 lakh. The FIR has put bank locker security and record handling under police scrutiny.The complaint was filed by Rashmi Arora, who said she was allotted locker number 23 in 2003 when she opened a savings account at the then State Bank of Travancore branch. (File photo)A case of alleged theft of jewellery from a bank locker has surfaced in Kanpur, with a widow claiming that ornaments worth about Rs 50 lakh went missing from her locker at a State Bank of India branch. Police have registered an FIR against the branch manager and some unidentified staff members.The complaint was filed by Rashmi Arora, who said she was allotted locker number 23 in 2003 when she opened a savings account at the then State Bank of Travancore branch. After her husband died, she moved to Lucknow and did not operate the locker for several years.Arora said that when she visited the Swaroop Nagar branch around four months ago, she was told that the erstwhile State Bank of Travancore had merged with SBI. She alleged that even after the merger, locker charges continued to be deducted from her account, but she was initially not allowed to inspect the locker.According to her complaint, bank officials confirmed her locker number on July 21 after she deposited the locker charges. She said she could not open the locker that day because she did not have the key with her. When she returned with the key on July 27, she allegedly found the locker completely empty. In the FIR, Arora alleged that bank officials had first denied the existence of her locker and acknowledged it only after she produced account documents and records showing deduction of locker charges. She accused the branch manager and staff of conspiring to misappropriate the jewellery.After the complaint reached Commissioner of Police Raghubir Lal, he ordered an investigation on August 6. Following this, Swaroop Nagar police registered an FIR on August 10 against the branch manager and unidentified employees. Station House Officer Devendra Singh of Swaroop Nagar said police are examining the bank's records, locker-related documents and CCTV footage, and further action will be taken on the basis of the evidence. The case centres on Arora's allegation that jewellery worth around Rs 50 lakh disappeared from her SBI locker.- EndsPublished By: India Today Web Desk Published On: Aug 14, 2026 00:05 IST