My name is Manoj Erath Unikat and I am from India. I was working in Al Ain, United Arab Emirates in Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank, sales department (personal loans). I was earning AED 6,500 as salary. My age is 47 years and was working ADCB for the past 7 years.
I am staying with my family (my wife and 2 children – 1 son (aged 16 years) and 1 daughter (14 years).
During October 2019 my close friend approached me asking financial help and I helped him using my credit card which had a limit of AED 15,000 (ADCB Simply life credit card), where I took quick cash loan of AED 12,000 for 12 months installment.
During this time, my parents had come on a visit visa on Nov 2019 to Al Ain, UAE and we were all happy with them around.
As for my friend, during the first 4 months my friend paid regularly, but then when Covid-19 pandemic started, my friend lost his job and he came to me explaining his situation. I felt really sad and did not wanted to ask him about the credit card payment. I told him, that I will help him find another job and till such time if anything emergency and I also ensured him that if required will help him in small amounts.
Before, COVID-19, I used to get incentives (around AED 3000 – AED 5000 monthly basis) along with my salary. But once pandemic started my business also started slowing down and I was unable to achieve my targets and hence my incentives stopped.
Now, with my parents with me and my incentives as stopped, I started feeling pressure to manage the expenses. Apart from the credit card loan amount which I am paying on behalf of my friend due to his job loss situation.
At this time, the UAE government cancelled all flights and also in India they stopped all international incoming flights. Due to this my parents had to stay almost an year.
This has increased my debt burden as I have to manage the household expenses, house rent, my credit card loan (which I took for my friend) and medical expenses for my parents (which are not covered in insurance as they are on tourist visa).
One good thing the UAE government announced was that people on visit visa need not renew and it is extended until flights are operational. This came as a blessing in disguise or else every 3 months I would have to renew their visit visa paying AED 990,
I then came to know through a Muslim community that they are arranging chartered flight to Cochin, India for those who are stuck in UAE. And during this situation, I had applied for staff loan (AED 32,500 – max 5 times of my salary is the eligibility) and this helped me to live through difficult situation.
Suddenly, one find day I heard that my friend committed suicide and I could not believe myself and was totally shocked.
This came as a hard hit and I used my loan money to close the credit card outstanding and also arrange tickets for my parents. I used credit card to pay off my children school fees and also to send some money to parents for family support and thus the loan amount was all exhausted.
As in my work front, I was unable to customers as during this pandemic situation every where there was salary cuts upto 50% and customers were scared to avail loans during this situation.
This made my situation very bad for not meeting my targets and bank was finding reason to fire an employee. But somehow, I was struggling to at least meet my threshold limit to justify my salary.
During this time, I was approached by one customer who was referred through my colleague from another department. And I met the customer and processed his loan. I did his loan documentation very fast as he had applied for AED 400,000 based on his salary and company listed with bank.
I had a relief that this will help me earn my incentive after a long gap of almost 1 year. But then things changed, when one find day, I was called by the Collection department asking about the customer details, for whom I processed loan.
I was shocked when I came to understand that the customer had not paid his first installment and when bank enquired the company. The customer had left job and went to his home country (Palestine).
I was asked to meet the Risk Containment Unit of our bank for interrogation regarding the loan I did for this customer. From my part, I have followed all banking protocols and still bank blamed me that I was not responsible to ascertain the customer’s attitude and thus losing this money.
Due to this, I had showed all necessary proofs that every process was done according to banking protocol and thus trying to prove my innocence.
But the management from bank after a month again, through my Line Manager informed that either I have to resign or the bank will terminate me and also black list me in the central bank.
I tried whatever it needs to explain my innocence, but all was in vain.
Finally, I had to resign.
I felt very bad as in my career of 7 years with ADCB, not even one single time I deviated from the bank policy and situation has made me resign for the reason of customer fraud who fled the country with the loan money.
I initially felt like ending myself and I do not know how to tell this to my family and also my parents.
I then using my passport took money on interest (AED 40,000) to manage my situation hoping that I will get a job soon based on my experience.
But again, my age factor played bad which made many opportunities go away from me.
Now without salary and to manage my family expenses, my children’s school fees, my house rent all pending for the last 4 months. I received notice from school that they will cancel my children’s admission if fees not paid.
I wanted to end my life, but when thinking of my wife and children my heart gets so heavy that without me how they will go through life and this made my attempts all futile.
I am now in badly need of USD 20,000 to close my debts which includes house rents, school fees, credit card over dues, money to private lender.
I do not know if this platform will help me solve my financial problems and still requesting each one of you who is reading my story if you can help me please!!
My paypal.me link: https://paypal.me/manojeu?country.x=AE&locale.x=en_US