Panic spread among customers of The Cosmos Co-operative Bank Ltd. after allegations surfaced that gold jewellery was missing from a locker at its Waghodia Road branch in Vadodara. Over the past two days, nearly 1,500 locker holders visited the bank to check their valuables. So far, no other losses have been reported.
The complaint was filed by NRI Narendrabhai Shah, who claimed that 35 tolas of gold ornaments were missing from his locker. Shah, who has been residing in the United States since 2003, had last visited India in 2024. He returned in 2026 for his daughter’s wedding and discovered the jewellery missing when he opened the locker to collect it for the ceremony.
The branch has 2,750 lockers, with 25 currently vacant. As a precaution, police advised the remaining 2,725 customers to inspect their lockers. Around 1,500 customers have already verified their lockers and confirmed that their belongings are intact, leading to questions about how only one locker was allegedly affected.
Bapod Police Station Inspector M.K. Gurjar said the lockers function on a dual-key system, requiring both the customer’s key and the bank manager’s key to open. Police are now investigating how access may have been gained and are examining bank procedures and records. Officials confirmed that a detailed probe is underway and no additional complaints have been received so far.