A farmer in Rajasthan's Balotra district has suffered a devastating financial loss after termites destroyed his entire life savings of ₹5 lakh (approximately $6,000 USD). Mangilal Meghwal had buried the cash in his field for safekeeping, only to discover it reduced to a heap of torn notes nearly a year later.
The incident, reported from Nevai village, highlights the tragic outcome of an attempt to protect assets. Meghwal had received the ₹5 lakh from selling a plot of land in Pachpadra and intended to use the funds to construct a permanent room on his agricultural property. Fearing theft or impulsive spending, he reportedly placed the ₹500 notes inside a polythene bag and buried them in his field.
A Year-Long Search and Discovery
Unfortunately, Meghwal later forgot the exact location where he had hidden the money. For almost a year, he and his family, initially skeptical but eventually joining the search, dug up various parts of their 10-bigha property in a desperate attempt to locate the buried fortune. His reported drinking habit and forgetfulness contributed to the prolonged inability to pinpoint the spot.
The hidden bag finally surfaced after heavy rainfall, during preparations for sowing the field. One night, it went unnoticed in the darkness, but the next morning, Meghwal’s wife and son spotted it while repairing the field’s fencing. Upon opening the bag, they were met with the heartbreaking sight of severely damaged currency; large portions of the ₹500 notes had been eaten away by termites, leaving only tattered remnants.
Banks Refuse Damaged Currency
Hoping to salvage some value, the family collected the remaining pieces of the currency and approached the State Bank of India (SBI) branch in Pachpadra. However, the branch reportedly refused to accept the badly damaged notes due to their condition. Their subsequent visit to SBI's main branch in Balotra also proved futile. Consequently, Mangilal Meghwal's ₹5 lakh savings, which had been buried for nearly a year, became completely unusable, shattering his dream of building a new room.