Indian trader loses life savings to termites

A trader in the Indian state of Bihar has lost his life savings after termites infesting his bank's safe deposit boxes ate them up.

Dwarika Prasad had deposited currency notes and investment papers worth hundreds of thousands of rupees in a bank safe in the state capital Patna.

The bank says it put up a notice warning customers of the termites.



Mr Prasad says he did not see it in time as he did not go to the bank for months after the notice went up.

Bank officials admit they did not inform the customers individually about the termite problem.

Bank manager YP Saha says the customer cannot blame the bank because he did not find his locker broken or damaged. "The bank is not liable for the deposits kept inside the safe as it is only when a locker is found broken that the bank is answerable," he said.