Seven years after closing their accounts, Odisha’s women Self-Help Groups (SHGs) receive a notice of Rs 9L loan from Bank of Baroda.

A group of women from three Self-Help Groups (SHGs) in Gangijodi village, Dhenkanal district, filed a police complaint alleging that they received a loan notice for Rs 9 lakh from their bank despite closing their accounts seven years ago. The women claimed that they had opened accounts with the Bank of Baroda in 2015 and closed them in 2017 due to personal issues. However, they recently received notices stating that loans of Rs 3 lakh each were issued against their accounts in 2019. The women are confused and concerned about how the loans were granted after the accounts were closed and demanded a probe into the matter. They alleged that someone had taken a loan in their names without their notice or consent and that they have no means to repay the loans. The police launched an investigation, but no official response has been received from the bank or police authorities regarding the matter.