What started as a routine cleaning at Canara Bank’s Managuli branch quickly unraveled into a shocking revelation when staff found the premises had been broken into, with gold worth over ₹53 crore vanished. Situated in Basavana Bagewadi, Karnataka’s northern Bijapur district, about 500 km from Bengaluru, the branch became the target of a large-scale robbery. The thieves escaped with 58.975 kilograms of gold and ₹5.2 lakh cash. This gold was pledged by customers as collateral against gold loans.
The incident came to light on Sunday morning, May 25, when subordinate staff, following instructions from the branch manager, discovered the rolling shutter had been forcibly opened. Kalmesh Layappa Pujari, the branch in-charge, shared with authorities that “when we entered with the police, the strong room’s grill rods were bent but the door itself remained intact.” Alarmingly, not just the gold but the CCTV cameras and hard disk recording system were missing as well.
Although the theft was uncovered on May 25, the FIR was only lodged on May 26. Pujari explained that the delay was necessary to verify the remaining gold packets and calculate the full extent of losses in both gold and cash. Police investigations are actively underway.
Vijayapura Superintendent of Police Laxman Nimbargi IPS said the security setup of the branch is under close scrutiny, with multiple angles being examined to understand how the robbers managed to break in. “Eight teams have been formed to probe this case thoroughly,” he revealed.
A curious detail emerged when a black doll was discovered near a broken window. Authorities suspect this doll was used to create an aura of black magic to perhaps intimidate or mislead.
In an official statement, Canara Bank reassured the public, “The gold stored with us is fully insured under a comprehensive policy.” They further assured that police investigations are progressing swiftly and promised, “The culprits will be caught soon. Your trust remains our utmost priority.”
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