Harassment by mobile-based loan app executives has allegedly pushed a co-operative bank employee to end his life. The body of the deceased Nandakumar T., 52, a resident of Nagadevanahalli and an employee with a private co-op. bank, was recovered on the railway tracks between Nayandahalli and Kengeri on Monday.
The police recovered a death note in which he reportedly blamed harassment by loan app executives. The deceased’s wife has confirmed his handwriting on the letter.
Investigations have revealed that Nandakumar had borrowed loan from mobile apps and was repaying them. However, whenever there was a delay in repayment, he would get calls from the executives of the loan apps threatening with dire consequences and hurling abuses at him. They were also allegedly sending his morphed photographs to him and his family members and others on his contact list.
Nandakumar had even filed a complaint with the Cyber Crime Police and filed a petition with the Karnataka and Maharashtra police requesting them to ban 46 mobile loan apps, which are harassing the gullible public.
Shobha N.S., wife of Nandakumar, requested the police to take legal action against 46 mobile loan apps and a friend of Nandakumar, from whom he had borrowed a loan and was allegedly harassing him to repay. Based on the complaint, the police have registered an FIR charging mobile loan apps and the deceased’s friend, charging them under various sections of IT Act, 2000 and also under abetment to suicide.
The Hindu recently reported on the numerous cases being filed with the Cyber Crime police in the city, over loan apps. Almost one in every 10 cyber crime cases filed in the city pertain to loan apps, the police said. Despite repeated requests, playstores are displaying a lax attitude, not doing due diligence and not removing these apps.
(Those in distress or those having suicidal tendencies can call Arogya Sahayavani Ph.: 104 for help).
