Being Myself…

The Odd one…

// November 18th, 2009 // Contributed

On Dhanteras, he had a date with destiny. But, Jugalkishore Jangid, 32, a carpenter chose honesty over greed.

When Jangid went to the Punjab National Bank (PNB) ATM near New Cloth Market to withdraw cash and pay his workers for Diwali early on Thursday morning, he was shocked to find that he had suddenly turned into a crorepati. His balance had jumped from Rs 2.5 lakh to Rs 59.30 crore and he had no idea
about the source of the extra cash.

"Initially, I thought it was a mistake and went to another ATM, but the balance did not change. I was so baffled, I did not have the courage to withdraw Rs 20,000 to pay my workers," said Jangid, who belongs to Devan village near Jaipur and has settled down in Ahmedabad since last 13 years. He contacted his businessman friend Anuj Shekani, who took him to chartered accountant Purushotam Khandelwal for advice. As it was early in the morning and banks would open at 10.30 am, Khandelwal advised them to approach Gujarat Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) executive committee member Durgesh Buch, who is also a chartered accountant.

Buch promptly informed PNB authorities. A K Roy Choudhary, deputy general manager of the bank said as soon as the officials came to know about the matter, they approached the headquarters in Delhi, where it was confirmed that a technical error in the ATM server had caused the huge amount being transferred to Jangid’s account.

He said that since the ATM and bank account servers are different, the money was not credited in the account despite the ATM showing the colossal transfer. "However, the bank acknowledges uprightness shown by the customer as he refrained from operating the account. The bank would like to felicitate him in a public function", he added.

Samir Patel, vice president of GCCI said the chamber is also planning to honour Jangid for setting an example for others to follow.

Source: Times of India

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