Surat: A 53-year-old businessman has alleged that three 100g gold bars worth around Rs 45 lakh were replaced with fake ones while they were kept in his bank locker.The theft came to light when the family decided to shift their valuables from the locker to their home.Reenam Shah, who runs a pharmaceutical unit in Surat, has maintained a locker at the bank for several years.According to Shah, the family shifted residence in 2018 and misplaced the locker keys during the move. After informing the bank, they were charged Rs 10,000 for issuing a new key. The locker was opened and a replacement key was made in Shah’s presence at the bank.On Feb 18 this year, Shah visited the bank to operate the locker. He took home gold ornaments, silver articles and three gold bars stored inside. However, he became suspicious after examining the bars and had them tested by a jeweller.The tests revealed that each bar weighed only 65g instead of the original 100g and contained just 3% gold, indicating that the original bars were allegedly replaced with fake ones.Realising that the gold bars were swapped, Shah approached the police and lodged a theft complaint. Police have begun an investigation into how the alleged exchange took place and whether it occurred while the valuables were inside the bank locker.
