Note exchange ordeal: Manager dies in bank after spending three days at work

Rohtak, Nov 17: A 56-year-old bank manager in Haryana died of a massive heart attack after spending three frantic days serving hundreds of customers following the government's shock withdrawal of high-value currency.

Police say Rajesh Kumar, the manager of Rohtak's Cooperative Bank, was found dead in his chamber on Wednesday morning after spending three nights in the office because of the increased work load.

Banks across India have struggled since Rs 500 and Rs 1000 notes were recalled last week as millions have poured in to exchange or deposit old currency. Banks have been asked to open early or close late to accommodate the large crowds, adding to the woes of bank staff.

“Due to increased work-load, Kumar had been sleeping in his office from the past three days. His family said he was on medications for heart disease,” Shivaji colony police station in-charge Neeraj Kumar said. Work at the bank has been suspended.

When a security guard reached the bank on Wednesday morning, he knocked at the manager's office door but got no reply. He alerted other employees who called in the police, who broke the door to find him dead.

The police said Kumar belonged to Gurgaon and is survived by his wife and two children.