Two Account Holders Of Crisis-Hit PMC Bank Suffer Cardiac Arrest, Another Commits Suicide

Three account holders of the Punjab and Maharashtra Cooperative Bank died on Mumbai in the last 24 hours, amid the crisis at the co-operative PMC bank. Two of the three deaths were due to heart attacks as families of the deceased said they were under “severe stress”, and another depositor allegedly committed suicide.

Former Jet Airways employee Sanjay Gulati, 51, died on Monday night, 52-year-old Fatommal Punjabi died of a heart attack after he collapsed in his shop in Mumbai’s Mulund area on Tuesday afternoon.

Dr Yogita Bijlani, who moved to Mumbai from the United States last year, allegedly committed suicide on Tuesday evening. She allegedly overdosed on sleeping pills at her residence in Versova locality on Monday evening. She is said to have deposits of more than Rs 1 crore in the PMC Bank.

However, the police deny link between the suicide with the crisis at PMC Bank and are investigating for possible reasons behind her death. The police said that Bijlani suffered from chronic depression, and had also tried to end her life earlier when she was in the US.

Sanjay Gulati, who died on Monday evening soon after he attended a protest outside a city court, lost his job earlier this year after Jet Airways shut its operations.

“He had accounts only in PMC Bank, all his money was there,” Gulati’s father said. Gulati was under immense financial pressure as he needed money for the treatment of his specially-abled child.

Fatommal Punjabi, another depositor, reportedly suffered losses in his business. His friend, KT Tyagnani, said that he was worried about his business due to the upcoming Diwali season.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Tuesday said he would urge the Centre to resolve the PMC Bank crisis after the Assembly elections in the state, scheduled for October 21.

The RBI had imposed restrictions on the bank, saying that depositors would not be allowed to withdraw than Rs 1,000 from the bank for six months. The central bank also said PMC Bank would not be allowed to grant or renew any loans and advances or make any investment.

The withdrawal limit was raised in stages to Rs 40,000 on Monday.

The curbs on withdrawals have been in effect since September 25, after a fraud of Rs 6500 crore involving HDIL (Housing Development & Infrastructure Ltd) came into light.

Also Read 90 Lakh Stuck In PMC Bank, Ex-Jet Airways Employee Dies Of Heart Attack Hours After Attending Protest