A bank manager in Kerala has allegedly gone missing with around 26 kilograms of gold ornaments valued at crores of rupees, police said on Friday.

Madhu Jayakumar, the manager of a public sector bank's Edodi branch in Kozhikode district, allegedly fled with the gold items pawned by customers, they said.

The disappearance of ornaments came to light during a routine reappraisal process after Jayakumar's transfer to another branch in Kochi.

According to the police, the theft is suspected to have occurred over a period of time, with the manager exploiting his position to siphon off the valuable items.

He reportedly hails from Tamil Nadu.

Police said they have launched an investigation and are searching for the missing manager.

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