Buldhana police arrested a bank manager on Tuesday for allegedly demanding sexual favours from the wife of a farmer who applied for a crop loan earlier this month.
The accused was identified as Rajesh Hivse, manager of the Central Bank of India’s Datala branch in Malkapur tehsil.
The complaint filed by the couple stated that the woman first caught Hivse’s eye when she accompanied her husband to the bank branch for a crop loan on June 23. She was asked to submit her contact details as part of the loan processing formalities.
Later, Hivse allegedly called up the woman and demanded sexual favours in return for the crop loan. He also sent a bank peon – identified as Manoj Chavan – to their house in an alleged attempt to pressurise her into complying with his demands. Chavan allegedly told the woman that Hivse will approve the loan and also extend benefits under a special package if she agreed to his conditions.
However, the woman recorded the conversation and filed a complaint with the local police.
Malkapur sub-divisional police officer Girish Bobde said they took serious note of the incident, and formed a team to nab the accused. Chavan was arrested first, following which a search was launched for the bank manager. The hunt ended on Tuesday.
{{/usCountry}}Malkapur sub-divisional police officer Girish Bobde said they took serious note of the incident, and formed a team to nab the accused. Chavan was arrested first, following which a search was launched for the bank manager. The hunt ended on Tuesday.
{{/usCountry}}“We were tipped off that Hivse was in Nagpur to attend the marriage ceremony of a relative. We nabbed him from the marriage hall with the help of the Nagpur police,” said Bobde.
Both Hivse and Chavan were booked by the police under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code and the SC/ST Prevention of Atrocities Act. “We have recorded the statements of the woman as well as her husband. The bank peon has also admitted to seeking sexual favours from the woman on the behalf of his boss,” the police officer added.
Meanwhile, state agriculture mission chief Kishore Tiwari demanded stern action against the bank official. “Nationalised financial institutions are supposed to help crisis-ridden farmers, but here we have bank officials harassing them in such a deplorable fashion. The crop loan target fixed by the government for nationalised banks hasn’t even seen 20% fulfilment so far this kharif season,” he said, citing the Yavatmal district collector’s recent move to close official accounts at SBI branches for not following government directives regarding disbursal of funds.