Defaulters without taking any bank loan!

Marginal farmer Nilkanta Roy of Khatamari village in Kulaghat union of Lalmonirhat Sadar upazila and his wife are visibly upset as Lalmonirhat branch of Sonali Bank has issued a notice, 'falsely' identifying him as defaulter of a Tk 50 thousand loan that he claimed to have never taken from the bank. Photo: Star

Lalmonirhat branch of Sonali Bank has served notices to hundreds of farmers in Lalmonirhat Sadar upazila, terming them as loan defaulters, although many of them did not take any loan while others earlier repaid their loan taken from the bank.
Nilkanta Roy, a marginal farmer at Khatamari village of Kulaghat union in Lalmonirhat Sadar upazila, became surprised after getting a notice from the Sonali Bank branch in Lalmonirhat to repay agriculture loan of Tk 50 thousand.
He claimed not to have taken any loan from there.
"Lalmonirhat Sonali Bank field worker Amzad Hossain took my signature in a bank form in the name of giving Tk 20 thousand as loan but he didn't give me the money. Rather the bank staff drew from the bank loan money of Tk 50 thousand in my name 18 months ago. I knew of the matter only a week ago,” he said.
"I didn't take any loan but the bank served me notice. Now I, my wife and two school going sons are passing days amid worry,” he said.

Sharecropper Habibor Rahman of Bosti Khatamari village under the same union is also in the same boat as the bank served him a 'false' notice to repay Tk 75 thousand.

Many other marginal farmers including Shah Alam, Surz Miah, Hazrat Ali, Usuf Ali, Monsur Ali of Khatamari village, Habibor Rahman, Afzal Miah of Basti Khatamari village, Golzar Rahman, Idris Ali of Kulaghat village, Santosh Roy and Amol Chandra Roy of Banomali village and many other farmers of Siberkuti, Dhairkhata, Baniadighi and Tiktiki villages in Lalmonirhat Sadar upazila also got notices as loan defaulter in last two weeks.
Habibor Rahman, a sharecropper at Bosti Khatamari village in Lalmonirhat Sadar, said he repaid his agriculture loan of Tk 40 thousand two years ago but bank field worker Amzad Hossain drew Tk 75 thousand as agriculture loan using his name about 18 months ago without his knowledge.
“I can to know it ten days ago when a three-member probe team of Sonali Bank visited our village,” he said.
Farmer Golzar Rahman at Kulaghat village in Lalmonirhat Sadar said he took Tk 40 thousand as agriculture loan from the Lalmonirhat branch of Sonali Bank four years ago and later he repaid it.
"But I have been served a notice as a loan defaulter. Bank staff Amzad Hossain embezzled the money instead of depositing it at the bank. I will go to the court if the bank authority doesn't take proper action soon," he added.
In last four months, the bank served notices to 1500 of the 3500 agriculture loan recipient farmers in Kulaghat, Mohendranagar and Khuniagachh unions, declaring them as loan defaulter, bank officials said.
But several affected people alleged that about 70 percent of the farmers who were served such notices in the three unions are actually cheated by the corrupt bank staff.
Field workers as well as officials of Lalmonirhat branch of Sonali Bank are involved with this corruption and so, the higher authorities concerned must conduct proper investigation in this regard, said the cheated farmers.
As two 'loan defaulter' farmers at Dhairkhata village in Lalmonirhat Sadar upazila submitted a written allegation to the deputy general manager of the Kurigram branch of Sonali Bank on May 7, authorities on May 21 formed a three-member probe body headed by Mostafa Zaman Mandol, senior executive officer of Sonali Bank principal office in Kurigram.
Since then the team has continued investigations as they are regularly getting similar complaints from different villages.
The probe team chief expressed hope that he will able to complete the investigation by the first week of July.
He, however, did not agree to disclose further about the internal report before completion of the probe.
Meanwhile, manager of Lalmonirhat branch of Sonali Bank Sazidul Islam and field workers Amzad Hossain and two others declined to talk regarding the matter without permission from the high officials.