Lawyers representing a group of safety deposit box holders at Republic Bank Limited’s (RBL) Couva branch have requested that the bank enter negotiations over reimbursing them for their valuables stolen during a break-in in late May.
The request was made in a legal letter sent by the group’s attorney Kiel Taklalsingh to the bank’s corporate secretary on Thursday.
In the letter, Taklalsingh claimed that the bank had a responsibility to ensure that the facility was properly secured, monitored and equipped to respond to threats promptly.
“This is reflected by the fact that the license agreement casts upon RBL the sole discretion and responsibility to determine the suitability of the premises and the standard of security systems adopted at the said premises housing the safety deposit lockers,” Taklalsingh said.
He claimed that the bank’s failure to ensure it had an effective security system led his clients to lose large amounts of jewellery, cash and other valuables, including family heirlooms that have been passed down for generations.
“As you may appreciate, some of these items were of tremendous sentimental value and reflected the historicity of our clients’ ancestry and family lineage,” Taklalsingh said, as he noted that the stolen items included “mangal sutras” - the traditional first gift a Hindu bride receives from her husband, “beras” and “mohars” - gold chains adorned with gold coins.
“These pieces of jewellery not only represented evidence of hard work and wealth acquired over the years for these families but also stood for the continued tradition of investment in precious metals and gems which help preserve cultural identity for future generations of family members whilst appreciating in monetary value,” he said.
He also noted that his clients also had to go through the inconvenience of replacing important documents that were also stored in their safety deposit boxes.
As part of the letter, Taklalsingh included lists of the items his clients claimed were stored in their boxes and were stolen as burglars broke into the bank.
Taklalsingh gave the bank 28 days to respond to his clients’ offer to negotiate.
According to reports, the break-in at the bank, which is located within 100 metres of the Couva Police Station, occurred between May 27 and 30.
In a release, the bank claimed that the burglars did not manage to gain access to the vault and customers’ records and documents were found to be untouched.
The bank customers are also being represented by Dinesh Rambally, Stefan Ramkissoon and Matthew Allahar.
