SANGHAR, Oct 2: The Zarai Taraqqiati Bank (ZTBL) has launched a campaign to recover loans worth millions of rupees from farmers.

Police teams led by the bank staff are raiding guest houses and farms to arrest defaulting farmers, forcing many of them to go underground.

Notices were earlier served to the defaulters and now the bank has started taking action. Many defaulting farmers were arrested during the last week and sent to prison.

Some of the arrested defaulters, including Rasool Bakhsh Khaskheli, Thakurmal Meghwar, Ghulam Ali Solangi and others, were sent to the Phuladiyoon police lockup. Others were sent to the district jail but later released when they gave cheques or promised to reschedule the loans.

Similar actions have also been taken by the bank’s Kandiari branch.

The farmers reportedly defaulted either because of drought and failure of crops or due to non-payment from sugar mills whom they had supplied sugar-cane in the last season.