A Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the Manipur police has arrested the senior manager and three staff members of the Bank of Baroda’s Manipur University branch in connection with the theft of gold worth approximately Rs 4 crores. The suspects have been remanded to judicial custody for five days as the investigation continues on Saturday.
The case was initiated after senior bank manager Ganga Ningombam lodged a complaint on September 17, 2024. She reported that the lock on the bank’s strong room vault had been broken. When the cashier accessed the vault at around 10 a.m. that day, several gold packets were found missing.
It is reported that the CCTV footage showed two individuals in the branch manager’s chamber at 1:41 p.m. on September 12, 2024. However, further examination of the footage was obstructed as all CCTV cameras were found in “dark mode”. It shows the gold was stolen between September 12 and 13, but the theft was only discovered on September 17 when the cashier attempted to open the vault after curfew restrictions were relaxed in the Valley.
The curfew had been imposed in five districts of the Valley on September 12 following escalating violence and student protests.
Following a spot inquiry and after registering a case under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), the SIT arrested Ganga Ningombam, along with bank staff members Khaidem Jackychand (38), Gary Nongmaithem (21), and Akoijam Renash (20).