A young man from Garib Alam Bagh in Sahaganj, Hooghly, set an example of honesty after returning Rs 20,000 that was mistakenly dispensed by a bank’s ATM.
Sumanta Pal had inserted his debit card to withdraw Rs 1,000, but was taken aback when the machine delivered an additional Rs 20,000. Instead of keeping the extra cash, Sumanta informed his father Hemanta Pal and contacted the bank’s customer care service.
Subsequently, Hemanta reported the matter to the Sahaganj police outpost under Chinsurah police station. The police informed the concerned private bank, located at Pipulpati, Chinsurah. Police and bank officials later arrived at the ATM kiosk at Tyre Bagan, and thanked Sumanta and his father for their good gesture.
Sumanta, who works at an online retail store, said: “I received my money within a short time, but Rs 20,000 extra came out of the machine. The money was not mine; it belonged to someone else. My conscience guided me to return what did not belong to me.”
His father, Hemanta Pal, said: “My son himself suggested calling the police to return the extra money. Why should we take money that is not ours? He is young, but he is honest.”
The incident is believed to have occurred due to a mechanical fault in the ATM. Bank authorities are investigating the exact cause.