Loan shark victims start getting their money back

By Bom Lal Giri,Nawalpur, Sept. 9: News published in this daily has started helping some loan shark victims in Nawalpur, as the loan sharks have started cancelling forged agreements and relieving the victims of their tyranny.

On August 30, The Rising Nepal (TRN) highlighted the incidents of politicians exploiting the poor of Nawalpur through loan sharking in the news titled “Fewer Complaints due to powerful loan sharks: Victims”. The news was also published on the digital platforms of the daily as well as its sister publication, The Gorkhapatra. 

Of the politicians accused of loan sharking in the news, Maya Bhandari, a leader of Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP), has cancelled the previous agreements with Saraswati Adhikari Subedi, a loan shark victim.

“She (Bhandari) tore up the agreement document of a personal transaction of Rs. 3.6 million between us. Earlier, I had to pay Rs. 7.4 million under the fake agreement,” said Subedi.

Bhandari, who is a vice-chairperson of Gandaki Province and the vice president of Nawalpur Constituency-1 for the RSP, also tore up three signed cheques – a Rs. 1,380,000 cheque of Kamana Development Bank, a Rs. 700,000 cheque of Prabhu Bank in the name of Puran Gurung and a Rs 800,000 cheque of Mega Bank in the name of SK Motor Parts, said journalist Arjun Abiral, the witness of the agreement. The cheques were given to Bhandari as collateral by Subedi.

“She has also agreed to return a signed blank cheque of Prabhu Bank,” said Subedi.

Earlier, Subedi was also apprehended and allowed to leave by Bhandari only after she provided gold chains and bracelets worth Rs. 554,000 by bringing them from Binay Gold and Silver Jewellery Shop in Kawasoti.

“She (Bhandari) has agreed to pay Rs. 400,000 for the gold chains and bracelets I had to bring last time,” said Subedi.

The agreement between Bhandari and Subedi took place at the Ward No. 8 Office of Kawasoti Municipality on Thursday.

“The agreements had some errors due to which we agree to terminate all the previous agreements between us,” read the agreement signed by Bhandari and Subedi.

Talking to the TRN after the agreement, Subedi said, “I thank Gorkhapatra Corporation and its dailies and online media for raising the issue. It helped me get justice.”

Ward Chairman Bhim Bahadur Rimal said that he signed the document after the two parties assured him that they had permanently settled the issue.