Widow expelled from house by bank over loan default seeks help

Kannur: Officials of a public sector bank threw out Omana, a poor widow, from her house at Odapuzha in Kannur district after they attached the property citing default in loan repayment.

Six years ago, Omana had availed a housing loan of Rs eight lakh from the Nedumpuramchal branch of Bank of Baroda jointly with her husband Vincent. They had received financial aid from the panchayat for constructing a house and had taken the bank loan to meet the total expenses.

On completion of the house, the couple started repaying the loan. However, Vincent was soon diagnosed with cancer and they faced a financial crisis, leading to defaulting on the loan repayments.

Vincent died two-and-a-half years ago and Omana had no means to pay off the debt. Subsequently, the repayment amount touched Rs 13 lakh, including interest. Bank officials arrived at Omana’s house by 6 pm on Tuesday to attach the property. They forcibly evicted Omana from the house and sealed it.

Omana has nowhere to go now and is pleading for aid from kind-hearted persons. “If somebody doesn’t help, I have no option but to commit suicide,” she says while remaining outside her house which is now seized by the bank.