SBI cashier flees with Rs 70L gold, Rs 7L cash; Police hunt on for three months

Three months have gone by, but the cops have miserably failed to arrest a cashier of the State Bank of India (SBI)’s Balugaon branch who has reportedly fled after stealing gold ornaments worth Rs 70 lakh and Rs 7 lakh in cash from the bank. 

Even after three months, the accused, identified as Jitendra Kumar Biswal, remains absconding, leaving customers in deep concern.

According to reports, Jitendra, who worked as a Senior Associate and Cash-in-Charge, allegedly stole 12 packets of pledged gold ornaments from the locker and disappeared along with the cash. The matter came to the fore after the branch manager lodged a complaint at the Balugaon police station, following which an investigation was initiated.

Also Read: SBI employee in Odisha loots Rs 70 lakh worth of pledged gold, absconding since August!

The theft has created panic among customers who had pledged gold with the bank. Many have rushed to the branch to verify whether their gold ornaments are safe. Long queues were witnessed as people checked their loan records and pledged valuables.

Further investigation revealed that the accused pledged around 600 grams of stolen gold at various finance companies in Balugaon and managed to obtain around ₹50 lakh in return. However, none of the firms has commented publicly on the issue.

The incident has raised serious concerns about security lapses within the bank.

“Fortunately, my gold was safe, so I withdrew it. A couple of other people also withdrew their gold. But, what will happen if such things happen in State Bank, one of India’s most trusted branches, who can we trust then?” alleged a customer, Dhaneswar Pradhan.

Likewise, another customer, Manjulata Lenka, stated, “I heard the gold was stolen from the bank, so I had come to withdraw my deposits. We don’t have any trust in the bank.”

Meanwhile, Khordha SP stated that the police investigation is ongoing, and efforts are being made to trace the fugitive cashier.