SBI authorities refused to divulge his contact details as he wished to stay away from the spotlight. Attempts by The Sunday Express to reach him were unsuccessful.
A 52-year-old woman who recovered from a brain tumour and a man with a struggling business were among beneficiaries of unexpected generosity from an anonymous Aizawl-based businessman, who discreetly paid off their loans amounting to lakhs of rupees while refusing to take credit.
The woman, Rodingliani, had taken a loan of around Rs 4 lakh from the SBI’s main branch in the city for treatment in Kolkata. The widow who has two daughters had also professed difficulty in repaying the sum, months after her treatment, an official at SBI said.
Likewise, Muana L Fanai had borrowed around Rs 2.5 lakh to start a poultry farm. The business, however, ran into trouble and he found it difficult to pay off his loan. Both of them were among four people who found themselves free of debt earlier this week.
“I got a call from the bank that a good samaritan wants to pay off certain loan amounts and that the bank had selected mine in that list,” Rodingliani told The Sunday Express over phone from Aizawl.
This man is an Aizawl-based trader who prefers to remain anonymous. Bank authorities refused to divulge his contact details as he wished to stay away from the spotlight. Attempts by The Sunday Express to reach him were unsuccessful.
It was, as an Aizawl journalist summed up, “the perfect charity — anonymous”. Rodingliani said she was immensely thankful to the samaritan, whoever he is. Fanai called him “a guardian angel” on social media.
The SBI branch’s assistant general manager, Sheryl Vanchhong, said, “He called us and said that in these times of distress, he wants to help. He is a customer of our bank. He said that he wants to help those who had mortgaged their property against loans which they were finding difficult to pay. His budget was Rs 10 lakh.”
It was a coincidence, said Vanchhong, that on the day the bank was processing the loan payments, some reporters had come there to talk about the shift to online banking methods. The good samaritan’s act came up during that conversation. “He did not like it, when he saw the story in the local media,” said Vanchhong. “He did not want anyone to know.”
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