“Bilkul white ho jayega. Account ke through karwa lo koi problem nahin (It will sure become white. Do it through account, there is no problem).” – J. Bajaj
At this branch of HDFC in a tony are in Faridabad, Haryana, the Cobrapost journalist
meets Branch Manager J. Bajaj and N. Sharma, her subordinate. He find them very co-operative.
When they hear that the visitor wishes to invest Rs. 50 lakh of black money on behalf of a politician, they are receptive. “Kara denge Sir. Jitna aap bolenge kara denge jitna bhi aapko karna hoga. Jitna aap bolenge utna kara denge koi dikkat nahin. Main yehi dekhta hun. Mere bahut se client hain, jinka cash mein investment hua hai. Businessman ke paas aapko pata hi hai white bahut kam hota hai. Loha Mandi market mein mere customers hain kaafi, jinhone cash mein investment kiye hain (We will manage it, Sir. Whatever you want to, we will manage it, no problem. I look after only this kind of transaction. I have many clients who have invested in cash. You know businessmen have very little white money. I have many customers in Loha Mandi market who have made cash investments),” said Sharma.
How will the huge sum of cash be managed? Without even asking for a PAN card, Sharma replies: “Account se route kar denge (We will route it through an account).”
The journalist’s story continues. There is Rs. 5–7 crore due in February. Would the bank give him a big locker to keep the cash? A woman employee sitting next to Sharma says: “Locker to hai. Bada? Bada aane wala hai. February tak mil jayega. February tak to mil hi jayegi (We a have locker. Big one? We will have a big one. You will get it by February. You will get it by February, sure).”
Then, this woman employee takes the Cobrapost journalist to her superior, Branch Manager J. Bajaj. The journalist reiterates the purpose of his visit to the bank. “We are shifting to the main market in Sector 15. Wahan se aapko bada locker hum aapko de denge. Koi problem nahin hai, koi problem nahin hai (We will allot you a big locker there. There is no problem. There is no problem),” says Bajaj.
Would it become white if Rs. 50 lakh is invested with her bank? “Bilkul white ho jayega. Account ke through karwa lo koi problem nahi. Normally kya hota hai, hum log account ke through karwa dete hain ki aapka jo maturity aayegi wo bhi account mein hi aayegi (It will sure become white. Do it through account, there is no problem. Normally, we do it through account so that when you get it upon maturity it is credited to your account only),” says Bajaj.
On whether other politicians too have invested black money with her bank, Bajaj says: “Kum hi hain. Ek–doh hain. Koi problem nahi hai (There are only few. There are one or two. There is no problem).” Sharma too refuses to divulge any information, saying only: “Sir disclose nahin kar sakta, already daala hua hai. Safe hai (Can’t disclose it, Sir. They have already put their money here. It is safe).”
The politician’s wife has some relatives in England and she would like to send them money. Would the bank facilitate the transaction? Bajaj is reassuring: “Account mein se route ho jayega, koi problem nahin hai. Thoda thoda account mein daal ke karwayenge, ikattha mat karwaiye. Koi problem nahin hai (It would be routed through your account. There is no problem. We will do it by transferring the money in bits into the account. Don’t do it in one go. There is no problem).”
