Junagadh: If you too are among those victims whose bank drafts were stolen in transit and later encashed by dubious men, then this motley bunch of businessmen would show you the way. They not only got the bank pay up for the loss by using RTI, but also ensured that the bank register an FIR against the fraudsters.
It all began in May 2007, when a handicraft businessman, MK Goswami of coastal town of Prabhash Patan town, and his partners purchased two SBI demand drafts worth Rs 30,000 to pay their clients in Agra. After few months, the client replied that they have not received the payment in their accounts.
A troubled Goswami enquired with the bank only to be told that the payment has already been made. “The payment was encashed by someone else. We approached the bank and explained our case, but the bank raised its hand. The responsibility had to be fixed. For nearly two years, we wrote many letters and requested bank officials to investigate the case. But, that did not bear fruit. It was then that we decided to file an RTI application,” says Goswami.
Goswami and his partners were now sure that the drafts were stolen in transit.This could have been only achieved if the fraudster had changed the name of the payee. The local postal office and the local bank branch office was to made responsible for the loss.
“We filed at least six RTI applications and four first appeals and dug out all the information and papers relating to fraud. After accessing the information under RTI, we claimed the amount from bank for its negligence’’ says M K Goswami.
Goswami also corresponded with various offices of SBI at Prabhash Patan, Ahmedabad, Mumbai, Agra and New Delhi. The matter was scaled up to chairman of SBI and RBI and ministry of finance,government of India.
“Ultimately, bank refunded Rs 30,000 to us in January 2010. The things which did not work for two years, it worked in just twelve months, thanks to RTI,’’ Goswami added.
Interestingly, his RTI compelled the bank to file FIR at Agra against the fraudsters. “If RTI had not been there, we would have lost our money,’’ Goswami added.
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