By Sujit Chakraborty

Aizawl, May 19 (IANS): Even as the Covid-19 induced economic crisis has impacted crores of people and businesses, a businessman in the Mizoram capital spontaneously came to the aid of four distressed debtors, including three women, of the State Bank of India (SBI) here, paying off their outstanding dues - but at the cost of maintaining his privacy.

According to the officials of the SBI's Aizawl branch, the businessman approached the senior bank officials and informed them that in this time of misery and financial crisis, he wanted to help the people who had taken loans but were unable to repay them.

"The businessman is our old account holder. With a Rs 10 lakh budget, he wished to help those people who had mortgaged their various properties to take loans but are facing financial crisis in repaying the amount and interest," SBI Aizawl branch manager Sheryl Vanchhong told IANS over phone.

"Following his request, we selected the four people who had taken the advance but were facing difficulties to clear it. The businessman, before clearing the loans of four people, had firmly requested us that his name should not be disclosed. We also respected the gentleman's appeal."

Vanchhong said that Rodingliani, had taken a loan of around Rs 4 lakh from the branch to enhance her business but suddenly became ill and rushed to Kolkata for medical treatment. "Rodingliani, after spending a huge amount for her treatment in Kolkata, was not able to pay the EMI (Equated Monthly Instalments) of her loan. With the help of the big-hearted businessman, the woman could clear her outstanding balance," the bank official said.

Similar benefits were obtained by Assam's Karimganj-based Mohammad Alimuddin, whose Mizo wife had taken Rs 15 lakh loan from the same SBI branch to run her business. "My wife died in December 2018 following a heart attack. After that our business was almost shut. Though we had paid the large amount of the loan, there was some outstanding, which was paid by the unknown businessman. I was informed about this by the bank," Alimuddin told IANS over the phone.

Similarly, Muana L. Fanai had borrowed over Rs 2,46 lakh to start a poultry farm. The selling of poultry products, however, faced some problems leading to her inability to pay her EMIs.

Fanai took to social media to express her gratitude to the "Guardian Angel". "I suffered a series of setbacks, which further get worse after the novel coronavirus outbreak. This strange gentleman cleared my outstanding amount of Rs 2,46, 631," she said in a Facebook post.

This businessman remained unidentified as despite several requests by IANS, the bank officials refused to share his identity or contact details as he desired to stay away from the limelight or seek any kind of publicity about his generosity. Many people in Mizoram said that the kind-hearted businessman had also helped many people earlier too but refused to disclose this exceptional gesture to others, specially the media.