Pune Lady Secures Justice after Bank Staff Member Pilfers Her Gold from Locker
A Pune woman, Shweta Vaidya, has won justice after 79.95g of her gold was stolen from a bank locker. The Consumer Commission ordered Shamrao Vitthal Cooperative Bank to compensate her for the theft, emotional trauma, and negligence in safeguarding customer valuables.
Mrudula Narale
Pune, May 03, 2025: In a heart-stopping experience, a Pune woman was subjected to the unthinkable when 79.95 grams of her gold jewelry was stolen from a bank locker by a bank employee with the help of a duplicate key. The Pune District Consumer Grievance Redressal Commission has now brought about justice, taking Shamrao Vitthal Cooperative Bank to task for the theft and directing it to pay compensation to Shweta Vaidya, a Vadgaon Budruk resident, for the loss and mental agony suffered.
Shweta, who visits London often for her job, locked her valuable gold jewelry in the bank’s safe deposit locker on April 25, 2011, with the conviction that it was as secure as anywhere else. More than a year and a half went by when she had a reason to inquire about the locker. But everything changed in September 2012. It came to light that a bank official had stolen jewellery worth ₹57 lakh from several lockers by making a duplicate key. Panicked, Shweta’s father asked for her locker, but since he was not a joint holder, he could not open it. It was only in January 2013, when Shweta came back to Pune, that she opened the locker and found her gold—almost 80 grams—missing.
The bank first promised her that the stolen goods had been recovered and would be returned. However, when nothing moved, Shweta acted. In February 2013, she lodged a complaint with the Deccan Police Station for the recovery of her stolen gold and made a formal demand to the bank for the amount of her stolen gold at the current market rate. The bank dodged, saying the incident was before a criminal court and that it couldn’t verify which items were stolen from her locker. Betrayed, Shweta went to the consumer commission, hoping not just to get back her gold but to be compensated for the mental torture inflicted by the experience.
It refused the bank’s endeavor to wriggle out of responsibility, underscoring that Shweta had paid for a service to safeguard her valuables, which was a guarantee the bank could not fulfill. The bank was ordered to refund the price of 79.95 grams of gold at the prevailing market rate or compensate in kind with the same amount of gold, in addition to ₹15,000 for emotional distress and litigation expenses to Shweta.
This judgment is a ray of hope for Shweta, whose confidence in the banking system was severely dented. It highlights the agony of losing dear possessions and the strength it requires to battle for justice. For many others who bank on bank lockers to store their valuables, the judgment reinforces the belief that banks need to be held responsible for violations of trust. As Shweta goes ahead, her triumph is a reminder that consumer rights can triumph, bringing comfort to those who have been victimized by institutional lapses.
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