My banker neighbor who till a year ago was the most amiable fellow in the colony, now hardly greets any of us, “How he’s changed!” sighed the secretary of the colony, “Last year, he would chase me everyday to shift my account to his bank, but now he tells me, “No fixed deposit, no Adhaar card, no account!”

There was the sound of the lift gate being closed and I watched as thesame banker walked to his car. It was a different walk from the casual friendly gait he had before, and two security men strodeon either side of him.The secretary of the colony, tried to approach him but was pushed away roughly by the two guards, “Sir, it is about the colony bank account!” shouted the secretary.

“The boss does not want to talk to you!” said one of the security rudely, “Can’t you see he has other things on his mind?”

“But it is about his own colony!” said the secretary desperately, “If we do not open, we won’t be able to manage running it!” There was no response from the banker as he spat out the wad of paan he was chewing.

A lady on the top floor screamed, “Sir your wife and I are good friends, she said she will talk to you about my husband getting a loan!”

“Sahib does not listen to his wife anymore!” said one of the security men looking up at the window,“and sahib does not like people making noise when he leaves for work!”

A moment later I saw his wife running towards the car, “Dearest, you did tell me I could open our son’s account today, didn’t you?” she screamed, but the guards held her back and I watched as the bank manager did not even glance in her direction, but continued chewing his paan. He even spat a wad in her direction.

I felt sad seeing her crestfallen face, also that of the secretary of my colony and the pair of despondent eyes that peeped from the window above my flat, when suddenly there was the unmistakable sound of police cars approaching our gates. I watched amazed as policemen jumped out and surrounded the bank manager, “Whoa! Whoa!” I whispered to myself, “What’s happening!”

“You’re under arrest!” shouted the inspector, “Please step into the van!”

“For what?” asked the bank manager with a trembling voice, his paandribblingfreely down his once spotless shirt, “Why am I under arrest?”

“Fraud!” shouted the inspector, “Nine thousand crore loan without security!”

I watched the secretary of the colony, turnto the banker’s wife, then look at the woman peeping out of her window and staring up at me, said, “No wonder banks don’t need the common man anymore, they’re into bigger things!”

“Without security..!” I said, as the bank manager’s security scooted.

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