Termites devour 18 lakh Rupees in woman's bank locker

An Indian woman from Uttar Pradesh has recently discovered that the 18 lakh rupees she had been saving up for her daughter's marriage had been devoured by termites in the bank's locker.

Last year, Alka Pathak had deposited cash worth ₹18 lakh in her locker at Bank of Baroda's Ashiana branch. Recently, the bank reached out to her regarding the renewal of the locker agreement, reports NDTV.

However, once Pathak got to the bank to check on her savings, she was left in shock. The money she had been saving for her daughter's wedding had turned to dust after a termite infestation.

When the matter was widely reported, and the bank officials were pressed for answers, the bank claimed that they were unaware of the locker's condition and that a report was sent to the Bank of Baroda headquarters.

Pathak has accused the bank of withholding information from her. "If I don't get a response and support from the bank, I will seek the media's help to amplify the issue," she warned.

According to reports, recent rules introduced by the Reserve Bank of India prohibit the storage of any cash in bank lockers.

The Bank of Baroda locker agreement states, "The license to use the Locker hereby granted is only for legitimate purposes such as storing valuables like jewelry and documents but not for storing any cash or currency."

The bank's website states that it will be responsible for any loss of locker contents "caused by theft, burglary, or robbery," says NDTV.

"The bank shall be liable to pay you 100 times the prevailing safe deposit locker annual rent. This compensation also applies in case of fire, building collapse, or fraud," it states.