Narendra, 25, had a love wedding with Akhila on October 28.
Hyderabad:
Humiliated by distorted photos of his wife sent by loan app agents to his friends and relatives, a young man has ended his life in Andhra Pradesh, raising concerns over how such criminal and inhumane steps are being used by such loan lenders , has been sparked again.
Narendra, 25, had a love wedding with Akhila on October 28. The couple lived in Visakhapatnam, where the husband was a fisherman. However, weather conditions prevented him from finishing for a few days, putting him under financial stress.
To meet his expenses, Narendra had taken a loan of Rs 2,000 through an app. Within weeks, the loan app's agents started harassing him for repaying the loan, sending abusive messages.
The officers also sent distorted photos of his wife – along with a price quote on the image – to his friends and relatives who were on his contact list. When the images ended up on Akhila's phone, she told her husband and was informed of the loan.
The couple then decided to pay back the entire amount, but that did not help. The intimidation continued.
Soon, people they knew started calling Narendra to inquire about the statue, which shattered him from the inside. Heartbroken and humiliated, he took his own life on Tuesday, just over six months after tying the knot.
This is the third incident reported from Andhra Pradesh in a week. In Nandyal district, a young woman was harassed by the loan app agents and tried to end her life today but was rescued by the police. A third similar incident was reported from Guntur.
Lending apps are an easy way to get loans online because they shorten the documentation process, but their way of dealing with customers is often criticized for being extreme or inhumane.
Andhra Pradesh Home Minister Anithaa had raised concerns over the loan app in the state Assembly last month and said the government would crack down on such people.
“The loan apps lure the common public with their trap mechanism. They first offer loans with less documentation and then illegally torture the borrowers. Their torture is so cruel that people commit suicide,” she had said.
