Dear Editor,
The daring bank heist in Gohana, Haryana, where the robbers reportedly broke open 78 lockers and escaped with the loot is shocking. Bank lockers are supposed to be the safest method of keeping costly personal belongings. However, time and again, this assumption has been proved wrong with similar instances of bank lockers having been broken into by thieves. It is natural for the account holders who lose their valuables like this to feel cheated. There is hardly any risk cover in the event of things going wrong this way. The banks wash their hands off since these are undeclared assets and there is no way to quantify the loss of the locker holders.
The system needs to be made foolproof. Why are there are no guards on 24×7 duty and why security alarms are not fitted in the banks? How could the burglars carry out such a long operation of digging a tunnel and breaking the lockers without being noticed? The RBI and other authorities must devise a policy that guarantees full risk coverage in the eventuality of loss due to theft, fire or fraud etc.
R. S Verma
Nowshera
