Kerala family returns from hospital visit only to have heartbreak of seeing home sealed by bank

A family in Kerala returned from a hospital visit on Wednesday to find their home seized by the Kerala State Cooperative Bank due to an unpaid loan. The incident took place in Parappachal, Kasaragod, leaving the family's belongings outside while they had been away.

According to TOI, Janaki (70), her son Vijesh TP, daughter-in-law Vijina, and their two children were left with nowhere to go. They were forced to spend the night in their courtyard, setting up a temporary kitchen.

“When we returned from the hospital around 6 pm, we saw the house sealed and a bank notice pinned to the wall,” Vijesh said.


Their plight quickly caught media attention on Thursday. Seeing the reports, Unnikrishnan Nair, an NRI businessman from Cherthala in Alappuzha, stepped in to clear the debt. The original loan of Rs 2 lakh, taken in 2013, had swelled to Rs 6.5 lakh due to interest and penalties.

Vijesh, who was a coconut plucker, had borrowed the money to start a business. However, a severe fall in 2015 left him with a broken thighbone, making it impossible to work. He had managed to repay Rs 37,000, but the remaining debt remained unsettled.

With Nair’s timely help, the recovery proceedings were withdrawn, and the family was allowed to return home by Thursday evening. “We don't have any connection with Krishnankutty. He helped us and saved my family,” Vijesh expressed gratefully.

Inputs from TOI