Pune: Deccan police in Pune have arrested an assistant manager from Apte Road branch of HDFC Bank on charges of stealing mortgaged gold ornaments worth Rs 40.63 lakh from the locker. The assistant manager and her relative were allegedly involved in this crime and the incident took place between January 8 to 11.

The arrested bank employee has been identified as Kiran Dhotre (24) residing at Model Colony and her relative as Deepak Dhawale (25). The duo has been remanded in police custody till January 27 by the judicial magistrate (first class) court on Saturday (January 23).

A complaint has been filed against the duo by HDFC Bank Gold Loan Area Operation Manager mortgage department manager Atul Ghaware (44), a resident of Laxminagar at Parvati.

Based on his complaint, a FIR has been registered against Dhotre and her brother-in-law Dhawale at the Deccan police station. The duo has been booked under section 381 (theft by clerk or servant or property in possession of master) and 409 (criminal breach of trust by public servant or banker, merchant or agent) of the Indian Penal Code.

According to police, a customer had taken a gold loan from the bank and he had kept his gold ornaments mortgage against the loan. These ornaments are usually kept in the secure locker. Kiran was working as the assistant manager and was responsible for the locker section in the bank.

Kiran stole the gold ornaments from the locker on January 8, but her act was captured in the CCTV cameras installed inside the bank. Hence the bank officials lodged a complaint at Deccan police station. Assistant Police Inspector Shilpa Lambe and Police Sub-Inspector Shinde started investigating the matter.

Kiran was apprehended by Deccan police and upon interrogation she revealed that the stolen ornaments were handed over to her relative Deepak Dhawale. Further investigation revealed that Dhawale and Kiran had sold off some ornaments. Police managed to recover gold ornaments weighing 770 gram and Rs 8 lakh cash from the possession of the duo.

API Lambe is probing the case under the guidance of Senior Police Inspector Murlidhar Karpe.