Locker contents recovered, but not returned; Owners' wait continues

More than a month has elapsed since the sensational robbery at a bank in the city's Chinhat area, but none of the 40 people whose lockers were looted by six men in the early hours of December 22 have received their valuables back from the authorities.

- Aakash Ghosh

LUCKNOW:

This is despite police recovering Rs 13 lakh cash and gold and silver valuables weighing nearly 20 kilos from the accused, all of whom had either been arrested or killed in police encounters.

Against their hopes of getting their valuables back—in view of the formation of a special weapons and tactics (SWAT) team to oversee the return of the contents to their rightful owners—reports of some of the recovered jewellery going missing from police's possession has further demoralized the locker owners.

The team was disbanded after the incident came to light, and all 13 policemen in the team were transferred.

Additional deputy commissioner of police-East Pankaj Singh, who is tasked with the investigation of the incident, said, "Actions to be taken after the SWAT team was disbanded are yet to be decided. We will see if a new team must be formed, which, if it is formed, will take some time."