VIJAYAWADA: Jasthi Haritha Varshini’s dream to become a doctor remained unfulfilled after alleged harassment by recovery agents of a multi-national public sector bank forced her to take the extreme step on Thursday.
The 18-year-old student ranked 15,745 in EAPCET (Engineering, Agriculture, Pharmacy Common Entrance Test) and scored 8.5 GPA in intermediate second year. She was also preparing to crack NEET, when bank officials allegedly abused her mother and threatened of getting her father arrested for not clearing credit card dues.Varshini’s father, Jasthi Prabhakar Rao, works as a supervisor in a Delhi-based construction company.
He used his credit card to pay for his family’s needs and children’s education. After he failed to clear `3.5 lakh dues for over three months and evaded the bank’s calls and messages, the officials reached his residence at Nandigama town in NTR district, where Varshini lived with her mother Aruna and younger sister.
Police have now formed special teams to nab the accused who are at large. “A case has been booked against four officials under IPC Sections 306 and 506, and investigation is on,” Circle Inspector P Kanaka Rao said.
The family on Friday came down heavily on SBI and its third-party’s unruly behaviour. Terming it harassment, Aruna said, “The officials could have taken up the matter legally.” Recalling the incidents on July 26, Aruna said four persons, claiming to be employees of SBI Credit Card Wing, visited their house and abused her as her husband, Prabhakar Rao, had not cleared his credit card bills.
“They spent over three hours in our house, demanding us to pay the dues immediately. Despite pleading to give us some time or wait for my husband, they threatened us, saying they would get my husband arrested. They even abused me in front of my daughters. Disturbed by their behaviour, my elder daughter committed suicide. Is this the way to recover money? They could have taken the matter to court,” the mother lamented. She demanded the government and police to take stringent action against the agents for their unethical practices.
“My husband lost his job briefly during the pandemic, and our family faced extreme financial crisis. He is the only breadwinner and he did whatever he could do. He used the credit card to fund our children’s studies,” Aruna said. “We could not clear the dues -- it’s a fact. But how fair was it on the bank’s part to put such pressure on us,” she asked.
Four years ago, the family had moved to Nandigama from Kammavaripalem village to provide better education for their daughters. “Varshini was preparing to achieve her dream of becoming a doctor. The incident shattered her. She was depressed and scared that her father might get arrested,” an emotional Aruna said.