NAGPUR: This is a story of quiet dare by a white-collar criminal, not a high-voltage hostage crisis by a crew of robbers launching a bank heist. A 32-year-old assistant manager, Mayur Nepale, of Canara Bank’s Chikhla branch in Sitasawangi, Bhandara, stole Rs1.58 crore from his bank’s strongroom this week and was arrested within 24 hours.Driven by crippling debts from online betting and gambling, Nepale, who had cleared banking exams and was preparing for UPSC, orchestrated a solo heist. Police suspect he was also involved in earlier thefts at the branch, including misappropriating his father’s Rs80 lakh fixed deposit.
Inspired by a senior official’s Rs58 crore gold heist in Karnataka earlier this year and tutorials found online, Nepale tried to stage the crime as an external burglary. He snapped power lines, disabled cameras, used duplicate keys, wore a monkey cap, wiped fingerprints, and attempted to mask body odour.However, one external CCTV camera captured clear footage of him arriving on his scooter with bags that later contained stolen cash. His physical features and vehicle were easily identifiable.
.
On the night of November 17, Nepale bought four bags in Nagpur, where he lived with his family. In the early hours of November 18, he drove to the branch, broke the channel gate and shutter lock, entered the strong room using his managerial keys, emptied cash chests, and removed the DVR and cameras to destroy evidence.As assistant manager, Nepale recently requisitioned Rs 85 lakh from RBI on November 13, citing “emergency requirements,” inflating the branch cash five times beyond normal capacity.The theft was discovered when staff arrived on November 18 morning and alerted Gobarwahi police. SP Noorul Hasan rushed to the spot and formed 10 special teams, including cyber and local crime branch units.Suspicion quickly turned to insiders. Nepale’s unusual movements on November 17 and his sudden leave for “training” in Nagpur raised alarms. Shockingly, he drove back from Nagpur to Bhandara on the same scooter — which matched the CCTV footage perfectly — supposedly to assist police. Since he had hidden the bulk cash in his car, he had no choice but to use the scooter again.Officers from Bhandara LCB, led by senior inspector Vivek Sonavane, raided his wife’s residence in Nagpur. After initial denials, Nepale confessed. Police recovered Rs96.12 lakh cash, a Tata Nexon car (Rs10 lakh), the Jupiter scooter (Rs80,000) used in the crime, a Redmi phone, and the stolen DVR — totalling Rs1.07 crore in seized assets.Nepale was drowning in over Rs80 lakh debt: Rs30 lakh lost in online gambling, Rs12 lakh personal loan, Rs8.5 lakh car loan, Rs3.5 lakh education loan, Rs3 lakh Paytm loan, and Rs20 lakh from private lenders. Desperate to clear dues and continue betting, he robbed his own bank.“No outsider could know the exact camera positions and key locations,” SP Hasan said, explaining why the probe immediately focused on staff. Nepale has been charged with theft, criminal breach of trust, and destruction of evidence. Police plan to flag serious lapses to RBI and recommend mandatory cloud backup for bank CCTV systems.
