A 40-year-old man from Vijayawada in Andhra Pradesh’s NTR district died by suicide on Saturday, January 28 after allegedly being harassed by loan app agents. The deceased has been identified as Tangellamudi Rajesh from Suryapalem village. This is the second suicide reported due to harassment by loan recovery agents in less than a month in the erstwhile Krishna district.
According to the police, Rajesh received a loan from an app despite being unemployed for more than two months. In the past, he worked for a private company in Ibrahimpatnam. When Rajesh failed to pay his instalments, he allegedly received calls from the loan app representatives who put pressure on him for the payment and threatened to share his morphed pictures with his family. His family was not aware that he had taken a loan, his wife Ratna Kumari told the media.
Based on a complaint from Rajesh’s father, Ayyappa Raju, the police opened a case of suspicious death under CrPC Section 174. According to Bhavanipuram Circle inspector Mohammad Umar, details about Rajesh’s loan amount and when he availed it are unknown. Umar told TNM, “We have sent his phone to the cyber cell. They will look into it and try to get this crucial information.”
Earlier this month, a 23-year-old man named Rohith from Krishna district died by suicide after being harrassed by loan app agents. Rohith was reportedly active in online cricket betting and had lost around Rs 3 lakh, after which he borrowed money from the loan app.
In a similar incident, Durga Rao and his wife Ramya Lakshmi, a couple from Rajahmundry, died by suicide in September last year. According to reports, they borrowed about Rs 30,000 from loan apps and were harassed by recovery agents who threatened to post morphed videos and pictures that appeared to show Ramya in a nude state. The couple are survived by two children.
In a press conference held following the incident, Director General of Police (DGP) Kasireddy Rajendranath Reddy stated that there were 207 fake or unauthorised instant loan applications operating in Andhra Pradesh, of which 173 had been taken down from Google Play Store. The DGP had warned that the accused in such cases would be charged under Sections 384 (extortion), 406 (criminal breach of trust), 420 (cheating), 306 (abetment of suicide), 504 (insults or provocating or intending or knowing it to be likely that such provocation will cause to break the public peace), 506 (criminal intimidation), Section 67 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act and relevant sections of the AP Money Lenders Act.
If you are aware of anyone facing mental health issues or feeling suicidal, please provide help. Here are some helpline numbers of suicide prevention organisations that can offer emotional support to individuals and families.
Tamil Nadu
State health department's suicide helpline: 104
Sneha Suicide Prevention Centre - 044-24640050 (listed as the sole suicide prevention helpline in Tamil Nadu)
Andhra Pradesh
Life Suicide Prevention: 78930 78930
Roshni: 9166202000, 9127848584
Karnataka
Sahai (24-hour): 080 65000111, 080 65000222
Kerala
Maithri: 0484 2540530
Chaithram: 0484 2361161
Both are 24-hour helpline numbers.
Telangana
State government's suicide prevention (tollfree): 104
Roshni: 040 66202000, 6620200
SEVA: 09441778290, 040 27504682 (between 9 am and 7 pm)
Aasara offers support to individuals and families during an emotional crisis, for those dealing with mental health issues and suicidal ideation, and to those undergoing trauma after the suicide of a loved one.
24x7 Helpline: 9820466726
Click here for working helplines across India.