Moradabad: Termites Infest 18 Lakh Rupees In Bank Locker, Account Holder Stunned, Investigation Commences

In the Ashiana branch of Bank of Baroda in Moradabad, a peculiar incident has come to light. Inside one of the bank’s lockers, banknotes worth 18 lakh rupees were found damaged by termites. On Monday, an account holder, a woman, opened her locker and discovered that the notes inside were in pieces due to termite damage. She promptly lodged a complaint with the branch manager. The bank’s branch management has initiated an investigation into the matter.

Alka Pathak, the account holder, explained that she teaches tuition to children and had kept the locker for several years. Prior to this incident, in October 2022, she had found jewelry along with 18 lakh rupees in a black plastic bag inside the locker. Just a few days ago, she received a letter from the bank asking her to renew the locker agreement and complete Know Your Customer (KYC) formalities. For this purpose, she had visited the bank branch on Monday.

Fragments of the Bundles Found

Upon opening the locker, she retrieved a bag with the money and found that the bundles of notes were infested with termites. All the rupees had been damaged by termites, and only fragments remained. The jewelry was unaffected. At first, she couldn’t comprehend what had happened, but she promptly informed the bank manager.

Branch Manager and Police Investigation

Inside the locker room, the branch manager and other staff members inspected the locker. Upon receiving the information, the police were also informed. The investigation revealed that two other consumers had also found termite-infested money in their lockers.

Money Kept for Daughter’s Wedding

Alka Pathak mentioned that she had saved this money separately in the locker for her daughter’s wedding. Branch Manager Vivek Kumar explained that the bank allocates lockers based on the customer’s request, and the bank doesn’t have information about what customers keep inside the lockers. According to the rules, perishable items cannot be stored in lockers. Storing money in lockers is strictly prohibited.

Further investigations will be conducted to determine how termites managed to access the locker and damage the currency. The outcome of the investigation will determine any further actions in this case.