Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB), that prevented the country’s economy from
taking a freefall during the recent real estate crisis, has fallen prey
to the growing mob culture in the country, where unruly people are
resorting to force rather than logic to get their work done.
On Saturday morning, a group of around 20 to 25 people, who identified themselves as ‘victims of H&B Development Bank’, confronted NRB deputy governor Maha Prasad Adhikari in Nakhu, Lalitpur, and misbehaved with him.
Adhikari was not injured in incident, according to chief of Lalitpur Sub-metropolis
Police Range SSP Rajendra Man Shrestha.
The incident comes seven months after president of Nepal Bankers’ Association (NBA) — the umbrella organisation of commercial banks — Rajan Singh Bhandari was attacked by a group that still remains unidentified a few kilometres away from where Adhikari was surrounded on Saturday morning.
“This incident is different to what happened with Bhandari, who is also CEO of Citizens Bank International, as the deputy governor was not attacked,” SSP Shrestha told The Himalayan Times. “But we have taken this case seriously and will search for the culprits once the deputy governor formally files a police report.”
Although it is not clear what actually transpired on Saturday morning, reliable sources told THT that a group of around 20 to 25 people had arrived at Adhikari’s residence in Nakhu at around 7am. “After learning that Adhikari had gone to Bulls Club at the time, the group headed for the club,” the source said. The group then waited until 8:30am for Adhikari to come out of the club and immediately gathered around his vehicle.
“They said they were victims of H&B Development Bank and that they wanted to discuss the matter then and there,” the source said. “But after Adhikari told the group that he’d prefer discussing office matters in the office a heated discussion took place.” The group left only after some locals intervened in the matter and asked the people not to bully Adhikari, the source further added.
The latest incident has shocked the banking fraternity which regards Adhikari to be a gentle and highly professional human being, and who has been playing a key role in reforming the banking sector.
“He does not come under influence while making decisions and makes sure justice is done to everyone,” said NBA president Bhandari, condemning the practice of ‘using threats to influence someone to make a decision’.
One of the victims of the bank, who spoke to THT on condition of anonymity, however, claimed that the people, who went to talk to the deputy governor on Saturday, did not misbehave with him.
“People are definitely angry as around Rs 600 million of their deposits are at stake. But they returned after the deputy governor assured them that the issue would be settled by July 25,” he said, warning to launch a series of protest programmes if the problem is not addressed by then. The deputy governor was not available for comment as he left for China for a meeting, via Bangkok, on Saturday afternoon.
The entire H&B Development Bank episode transpired after some fraudsters lured ‘the victims’ into transferring the money to their accounts pledging them high interest rates. Based on the transferred amount, one of the bank branch managers then issued good for payment cheques. As per common practice, the amount equivalent to that mentioned in the good for payment cheque has to be kept idle in the account. But instead of locking the amount, the manager, who had colluded with fraudsters, released the money, allowing the fraudsters to flee with millions of rupees.
src THT
On Saturday morning, a group of around 20 to 25 people, who identified themselves as ‘victims of H&B Development Bank’, confronted NRB deputy governor Maha Prasad Adhikari in Nakhu, Lalitpur, and misbehaved with him.
Adhikari was not injured in incident, according to chief of Lalitpur Sub-metropolis
Police Range SSP Rajendra Man Shrestha.
The incident comes seven months after president of Nepal Bankers’ Association (NBA) — the umbrella organisation of commercial banks — Rajan Singh Bhandari was attacked by a group that still remains unidentified a few kilometres away from where Adhikari was surrounded on Saturday morning.
“This incident is different to what happened with Bhandari, who is also CEO of Citizens Bank International, as the deputy governor was not attacked,” SSP Shrestha told The Himalayan Times. “But we have taken this case seriously and will search for the culprits once the deputy governor formally files a police report.”
Although it is not clear what actually transpired on Saturday morning, reliable sources told THT that a group of around 20 to 25 people had arrived at Adhikari’s residence in Nakhu at around 7am. “After learning that Adhikari had gone to Bulls Club at the time, the group headed for the club,” the source said. The group then waited until 8:30am for Adhikari to come out of the club and immediately gathered around his vehicle.
“They said they were victims of H&B Development Bank and that they wanted to discuss the matter then and there,” the source said. “But after Adhikari told the group that he’d prefer discussing office matters in the office a heated discussion took place.” The group left only after some locals intervened in the matter and asked the people not to bully Adhikari, the source further added.
The latest incident has shocked the banking fraternity which regards Adhikari to be a gentle and highly professional human being, and who has been playing a key role in reforming the banking sector.
“He does not come under influence while making decisions and makes sure justice is done to everyone,” said NBA president Bhandari, condemning the practice of ‘using threats to influence someone to make a decision’.
One of the victims of the bank, who spoke to THT on condition of anonymity, however, claimed that the people, who went to talk to the deputy governor on Saturday, did not misbehave with him.
“People are definitely angry as around Rs 600 million of their deposits are at stake. But they returned after the deputy governor assured them that the issue would be settled by July 25,” he said, warning to launch a series of protest programmes if the problem is not addressed by then. The deputy governor was not available for comment as he left for China for a meeting, via Bangkok, on Saturday afternoon.
The entire H&B Development Bank episode transpired after some fraudsters lured ‘the victims’ into transferring the money to their accounts pledging them high interest rates. Based on the transferred amount, one of the bank branch managers then issued good for payment cheques. As per common practice, the amount equivalent to that mentioned in the good for payment cheque has to be kept idle in the account. But instead of locking the amount, the manager, who had colluded with fraudsters, released the money, allowing the fraudsters to flee with millions of rupees.
src THT
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