Devious borrowers make life tough for recovery officers
Bank recovery officers visiting a customer's premises for recovery of loans had better take a lady official and a videographer along with them when they go on recovery rounds. This can ensure that some recalcitrant customers don't resort to devious ways to force them to beat a hasty retreat.
A WhatsApp video that has gone viral recently in banking circles underscores the importance of such precautions. It shows three-four middle-aged recovery officials from a bank shaken when a customer's aggressive wife unleashes a volley of expletives and even threatens to file a rape case.
A routine recovery exercise almost turned into a nightmare for the bank officials. The lady apparently took umbrage to the manner in which the bank officials spoke with her husband and wanted them to apologise.
While the conversation that took place between her husband and the bank officials is not captured in the video, her browbeating them is clearly seen and heard. The location where this incident took place seems to be Bengaluru as the lady spoke to them in four languages - Tamil, English, Hindi and Kannada.
The lady proved too much for the officials to handle, with one of them almost falling at her feet when she uttered the ' R' word. It spooked him.
A senior public sector bank official said just like a woman constable or a subinspector is a part of police teams, it could be a good idea to include a lady as part of banks' recovery teams as some defaulting customers are adept at outwitting banks.
Videographing the interaction with the customer is advisable as it will ensure that bankers are protected from customers' allegations, he added.
Referring to the video, the official observed that the bank can take legal action against the lady for preventing a public servant from discharging his duty. Under Section 46A of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949, "Every chairman, director, auditor, liquidator, manager and any other employee of a banking company shall be deemed to be a public servant for the purposes of Chapter IX of the Indian Penal Code."
S Nagarajan, General Secretary, All India Bank Officers' Association, observed that just like a devil can cite the scripture for his purpose, wilful defaulters too exploit loopholes in the law and resort to Machiavellian tactics to keep bank recovery officers at bay.