ATMs shocker for scribe

By Our Reporter

SHILLONG, DEC 20: In an era of demonetisation, a News Live TV journalist based in Shillong got an ATM shocker on Friday last when Rs 8,500 was deducted from his SBI account after he failed to withdraw even Rs 2000 from four ATMs in Laitumkhrah.

Roshan Rai, working with the Guwahati based news channel, was flabbergasted after he got a mobile alert informing him of the Rs 8,500 deduction. He told this reporter, “I was truly shocked after I got the alert of the deduction.”

The scribe wanted to withdraw Rs 2000 on Friday last. First he went to the Bank of Baroda ATM located in Laitumkhrah to withdraw the amount and waited for the ATM machine to spew the pinkish Rs 2000 but was disappointed as there was no cash.

Hoping for a better luck elsewhere he tried three other ATMs of Meghalaya Cooperative Apex Bank Limited (MCAB), HDFC and one more ATM counter trying for that elusive and pinkish Rs 2000 note.

To his chagrin, all the three ATMs like the first one refuse to oblige the scribe as there was no cash.

Rai’s plight should have logically ended being cashless for the day, but to his horror he immediately got a mobile alert informing him of Rs 8500 deduction from his SBI account when he was not able to draw even a penny.

Rai, of course, got his grievance resolved after he met the Laban SBI branch service manager who he informed was ‘very helpful’ as the bank immediately re-credited the deducted amount.

However, what is really intriguing is how the money was deducted when a customer could not even withdraw the cash from the ATMs. More curious is the fact that as per the RBI directive one cannot withdraw more than Rs 2000 from the ATM in a day, but how did the bank deducted Rs 8500 at one go from a customer’s account when the frustrated man could not even withdraw the capped amount.