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    • Moghbazar couple on the verge of selling kidneys get Tk 16 lakh after media report on plight
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    Moghbazar couple on the verge of selling kidneys get Tk 16 lakh after media report on plight

    Online Niel Posted on

    Following several reports, including by The Business Standard, a wealthy man and a charity reached out to Jamshed and his family and cleared their debts.

    TBS report

    October 29, 2024, 8:25 p.m

    Last modified: 29 October 2024, 20:29

    Illustration: TBS/Duniya Jahan

    “>
    Illustration: TBS/Duniya Jahan

    Illustration: TBS/Duniya Jahan

    Jamshed Rahman* and Halima Begum*, owners of a small tailoring workshop in Moghbazar, were on the ropes. Like many others, their business suffered during the Covid-19 pandemic.

    In a bid to save their livelihood, they ended up taking loans at exorbitant interest from NGOs and local shark fishermen – to the tune of Tk 15 lakh. Soon, they were caught in a vicious cycle of debt.

    As the interest burden increased, so did the pressure from creditors. With no way out, Jamshed made a last-ditch effort to sell one of his or his wife’s kidneys to pay off the loans and put a leaflet on a wall.


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    But they didn’t have to sell his kidney; instead, all their loans were paid off.

    Following several reports, including by The Business Standard, a wealthy man and a charity reached out to Jamshed and his family and cleared their debts.

    Screenshot of TBS report on Jamshed-Halima’s plight

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    Screenshot of TBS report on Jamshed-Halima's plight

    Screenshot of TBS report on Jamshed-Halima’s plight

    “A huge stone has been lifted from my chest. Me and my family can survive now. Now we can sleep in peace,” Jamshed told TBS today (October 29).

    “Just a month ago, my family and I used to spend hours on Hatirjheel, to avoid the NGO people. Now, I don’t have any loan,” he added.

    According to Jamshed, a rich man, who wishes to remain anonymous, paid loans of 11 thousand lei. In addition, the Iqra Foundation provided him with a one-time assistance of Tjk4 lakh. The foundation also lent him Tk1 lakh without interest.

    Iqra Foundation Trustee and Supreme Court Advocate Syed Imran said, “I contacted Jamshed after reading the report. He told us that a person has paid the loan amount taken from the NGO. But he also took Tk 4.5 lakh as loan from o

    local loan and had to pay Tk 30,000-40,000 as interest per month. If someone gives him the amount as one time assistance, it will help him a lot.

    “We gave him a one-time assistance of 4 lakh. Besides, we also gave him an interest-free loan of 1 lakh,” Imran said.

    “Thank you The Business Standard. We came to know about this issue through their report,” he said.

    Jamshed’s wife Halima expressed her gratitude to the journalists. But the trauma of loans and interest has affected her deeply. “Even if I have to starve, I will never take a loan again.”

    TBS published an article titled ‘Can you help me sell my kidney’: Why Moghbazar couple resorted to last resort’ on Jamshed-Halima’s plight on 12 October 2024.

    The report took social media by storm, with many coming to the couple’s aid.

    Many readers sent messages to TBS asking how they could help the couple.

    *Names have been changed to protect privacy

    Online Niel
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