A 32-year-old assistant manager at a Canara Bank branch in Bhandara, Maharashtra, has been arrested for stealing Rs 1.58 crore from the bank’s strongroom in what police describe as a planned internal robbery driven by mounting debt and online gambling addiction. The accused, Mayur Nepale, was caught within 24 hours of the theft, The Times of India reported.
According to the police, Nepale, posted at the Chikhla branch in Sitasawangi and living in Nagpur, carried out the heist alone in the early hours of November 18. Police say he was under intense financial distress after losing nearly Rs 30 lakh in online betting and accumulating heavy personal, private, and loan-based debts exceeding Rs 80 lakh. Nepale had cleared banking exams and was preparing for UPSC.
Officers said Nepale was inspired by an earlier gold heist involving a senior bank official in Karnataka and relied on online tutorials to plan the theft. Investigators found that he attempted to make the incident look like an external burglary by snapping power cables, disabling cameras, using duplicate keys, wearing a monkey cap, wiping fingerprints, and even trying to mask body odour.
However, one external CCTV camera, which he failed to disable, recorded him arriving at the branch on his scooter with bags that were later used to carry the stolen cash. His face, body structure, and vehicle were clearly identifiable in the footage.
As per the police, Nepale bought four bags in Nagpur late on November 17. Early the next morning, he drove to the branch, broke open the channel gate and shutter lock, and used his managerial keys to enter the strongroom. He emptied cash chests, removed the CCTV DVR and internal cameras to destroy evidence, and then drove back to Nagpur.
The police also found that he had recently requisitioned Rs 85 lakh from the RBI on November 13, citing ‘emergency requirements,’ which raised the branch’s cash stock to nearly five times its normal level.
The theft came to light when staff reached the branch on the morning of November 18 and informed the Gobarwahi police. Bhandara SP Noorul Hasan immediately formed ten special teams, including cyber and local crime branch units, to track the suspect. “No outsider could know the exact positions of cameras or the location of keys,” Hasan was quoted by TOI as saying. The official added that initial suspicion fell on insiders based on the nature of the break-in.
Nepale’s movements on November 17 and his sudden request for leave for “training” in Nagpur added to the suspicion. In an unusual move, he even returned to Bhandara on the same scooter captured in the CCTV footage, claiming he wanted to assist in the investigation.
Police later learnt that he had hidden the bulk of the cash in his car, forcing him to use the scooter again.
A team from the Bhandara local crime branch, led by senior inspector Vivek Sonavane, raided Nepale’s family residence in Nagpur. After initial denials, he confessed. Police recovered Rs 96.12 lakh in cash, a Tata Nexon car, the scooter used in the crime, his mobile phone, and the stolen CCTV DVR, recovering assets worth Rs 1.07 crore.
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