Torture cry by creditor - Loan recovery agents harass heart patient with constant calls

A 53-year-old state government employee, suffering from a cardiac ailment, has accused a few loan recovery agents of the SBI Card and Payment Services Private Ltd of harassment and mental torture.

This follows a month after a transporter was allegedly driven to suicide by the loan recovery agents of another bank.

Tapash Kumar Deb, who has lodged a complaint against the SBI agents with Beleghata police station, said his blood pressure has shot up and he has been spending sleepless nights because of the harassment and torture.

“The agents are calling me regularly, abusing me and even threatening to abduct me if I do not meet their unjust demand,” said Deb.

Deb, who holds an SBI credit card, took a personal loan of Rs 58,000 in November 2006 from SBI Card and Payment Services, which has its office in Delhi.

The equated monthly instalment that he was to pay for the next three years was fixed at Rs 2,481. Which means, Deb was to repay the bank around Rs 89,000.

He paid the EMI till June, when the a bank agent informed him that he would have to pay Rs 84,000 more to clear the loan. Deb was shocked, as his dues then were around Rs 72,000.

He kept asking the agents for a statement detailing his payments, but they refused to provide it. “I told them that I was prepared to pay the balance at one go, but they insisted that I cough up Rs 84,000,” recalled Deb, who then stopped paying the EMI.

“They refused to clarify how they calculated the balance amount and also denied to reveal the rate of interest. Without my permission, the bank was deducting Rs 50 a month for an insurance policy, though they did not give me any documents,” Deb alleged. “Instead, the agents are now threatening me with dire consequences.”

The deputy commissioner (detective department), Ajoy Kumar, said the charges are being probed. “We have received several complaints of harassment by recovery agents of various banks,” he said.

SBI Card and Payment Services could not be contacted.