SBI starts inquiry to find cause of debtor's death

Kolkata, Aug 6(UNI) State Bank of India will start an inquiry to investigate the cause of a debtor's death, who hanged himself, after being allegedly hounded by recovery agents of the bank.

''We had not asked the enforcement agents to apply force. We had sent the agent to seize the truck for which we had given loan,'' SBI Deputy General Manager (Howrah zone) S Sengupta said today.

Manabendra Mondal, a transporter, along with 26 other transporters took a group loan from SBI.

Mr Sengupta said that all of them were defaulters and the bank had sent two notices before sending the enforcement agents.

''The bank has contacted Kumar Associates, which recommended the recovery agent, seeking an explanation,'' he said.

The man commited suicide at his Belgachia residence yesterday.

His family has allegedly said that he was driven to suicide after being ''abused and threatened'' by bank-appointed enforcement and recovery agents as he had failed to repay his loan.

The police have also registered a case of unnatural death and was waiting for the post mortem report.

Mr Sengupta said Mondal, a member of Bengal Metropolitan Truck Welfare Association, took a loan of Rs 11.4 lakhs in September, 2005, from the Shalimar branch for buying a lorry with the EMI fixed at Rs 20,000 per month.

UNI