Hyderabad: Agents from ‘rogue loan apps’ are reportedly harassing people yet again. In a recent case, the Hyderabad police filed an FIR against recovery agents of an app-based financial company after agents falsely accused a man of being a rapist to force him to repay the loan and avoid further harassment.
The complainant in his statement to Hyderabad police said that allegedly morphed his photo and added content saying that he had raped a five-year-old, besides brutally assaulting the minor. They also said that she is now in ICU.
According to a news report from Times fo India, the man, who is a resident of Hyderabad, had complained to the police about it a week ago. He reportedly took a loan from an app two years back and told the police that he also repaid the loan, but that he was still being harassed by the recovery agents.
Talking to TOI about the Harassment from recovery agents from loan apps going up DCP, CCS, Gajarao Bhupal, said, “We need to investigate the case on where they are calling from. However, complaints about harassment from loan apps have come to our notice.”
In December 2020, the Telangana police had said that these loan apps were illegal. These apps offer instant loans and there are at least 60 such loan applications available on the Google Play Store which are not registered or recognized by the Reserve Bank of India as an NBFC. Their operations are unlawful, said the police.
Harassment from recovery agents is not new
In one case that happened on December 16, 2020, a man named Sunil died of suicide because of the alleged harassment he faced from the loan recovery agents. He was found dead at his rented accommodation in Kismatpur, Hyderabad.
The police said as Sunil failed to repay the loan, representatives of these apps accessed his phone contacts and rang up his friends and family to step up pressure on him to pay up.
In a similar case, K Mounica, a resident of Siddipet, died of suicide. She had availed of a loan of 3 Lakh rupees and was not able to repay it on time. The 24-year-old agriculture extension officer ended her life by consuming pesticide after an app-based finance firm branded her a loan-defaulter and allegedly humiliated her by calling up people in her phone’s contact list.
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