Canara Bank Assistant Manager Stole Rs 1.58 Crore from his own Branch in Maharashtra
Nagpur, Maharashtra: A 32-year-old assistant manager of Canara Bank, Mayur Nepale, has been arrested for stealing ₹1.58 crore from the bank’s strongroom in Bhandara district, Maharashtra. Police say that this was a carefully planned internal robbery. He stole funds from his own branch due to his rising debts and online gambling addiction.
According to police, Nepale worked at the bank’s Chikhla branch in Sitasawangi and lived in Nagpur. He had lost nearly ₹30 lakh in online betting and accumulated more than ₹80 lakh in personal and loan-related debts. Police found that Nepale was influenced by an older gold theft case involving a senior bank officer in Karnataka. He even watched online videos to learn how to commit the robbery.
Police say Nepale was under more than Rs 80 lakh debt:
- Rs 30 lakh lost to online gambling
- Rs 12 lakh personal loan
- Rs 8.5 lakh car loan
- Rs 3.5 lakh education loan
- Rs 3 lakh Paytm loan
- Rs 20 lakh from private lenders
How did he plan the Crime?
Nepale attempted to make the robbery appear like it was done by outsiders. He snapped power cables, tried to to disable CCTV cameras, used duplicate keys, wore a monkey cap, wiped fingerprints and tried to mask his body smell. However, he missed one external CCTV camera. That camera captured him arriving on his scooter with bags that were later used to carry the stolen money. His face, body shape, and vehicle were clearly visible.
On November 13, Nepale had requested ₹85 lakh from the RBI, citing cash shortage. Due to this, the cash limit of the branch increased far above the normal level — nearly five times higher.
On November 17, late at night, he bought four bags in Nagpur. Early morning on November 18, he went to the bank branch on his scooter. He broke the channel gate and shutter lock. Using his managerial keys, he entered the strongroom and stole money from the branch. He removed the DVR and internal cameras to destroy evidence. After executing the robbery, he returned to Nagpur with the stolen cash.
Investigation and Arrest
The theft was discovered when staff arrived at the branch on November 18. The Gobarwahi police were informed, and Bhandara SP Noorul Hasan immediately formed 10 special teams, including cyber and crime branch units. Police suspected internal involvement because only an insider would know the exact location of the cameras and only an insider would know where the keys were kept.
Nepale further increased suspicion because:
- He had taken leave on November 17, claiming he had “training” in Nagpur.
- He returned on the same scooter captured in the CCTV footage, pretending to help in the investigation.
Police later revealed he used the scooter again because he had hidden most of the stolen money in his car.
Recovery and Confession
A crime branch team led by Inspector Vivek Sonavane raided Nepale’s family home in Nagpur. After initially denying involvement, he confessed the crime. Police recovered:
- ₹96.12 lakh in cash
- A Tata Nexon car
- The scooter used in the crime
- His mobile phone
- The stolen CCTV DVR
In total, the recovered assets were worth ₹1.07 crore. This incident has raised a big question on the safety and security system of Banks. Banks should enhance their security systems in branches.
