Moved by the plight of a couple and their minor daughter sitting outside their home after it was sealed on court orders for defaulting on a bank loan, a good samaritan has repaid almost the entire dues.
Of the total dues of 2.94 lakh, Rs two lakh was remitted by the person on Wednesday, following which the keys of the house was handed over to the couple, an official of the State Bank of India said.
The balance amount was waived off by the bank, he said, adding that the documents of the house would be handed over to the family after consultations with higher authorities.
As the plight of the family came to light on Wednesday morning after television channels aired visuals, showing Balu and Beena and their daughter Veni in her school uniform sitting in front of their sealed home with a lighted candle, offers of help poured in.
Balu said he had taken the loan from the SBI's Vanjaramoodu branch in Thiruvananthapuram district in 2014. He had remitted around Rs 93,000. "After I lost my job, I found it difficult to pay the monthly EMIs, following which the dues mounted," he said.
However, dues piled up after he lost his job, following which the bank filed recovery proceedings before the Chief Judicial Magistrate court here, which nominated a person to seal and take possession of the house on Tuesday night.
The official also said the family was asked to remove whatever belongings they wanted before the house was sealed but they had refused to do so.
Beena said they had sought at least three months time to remit Rs 1.5 lakh, which the bank did not allow and wanted them to remit the amount by September 17.
The family was not allowed to collect their food from the kitchen nor was Veni allowed to change her clothes, they alleged. Beena said the bank authorities had told them earlier that they should remit Rs 1.5 lakh immediately by September 17 evening to prevent recovery proceedings.
However, the family, which was solely dependent on her meagre earnings, had sought three months time to return the amount.