In a shocking incident, a 23-year-old agriculture extension officer in the district K. Mounika died on Tuesday night in Gandhi Hospital while undergoing treatment after she consumed a poisonous substance on Monday night. She was reportedly driven to take the extreme step due to harassment by an agency offering instant loans online.
According to police, Mounika, a resident of Bharat Nagar in Siddipet town, and took a loan through ‘Snap It’ app. Due to personal reasons, she was unable to repay the loan and those who advanced the loan not only called her and abused her but also branded her a ‘loan defaulter’ and circulated her photo on social media platforms and WhatsApp groups.
Family members of Mounika lodged a complaint with the One Town police demanding action be taken against those running the ‘Snap It’ App.
“I am Kirni Bharath, resident of Bharath Nagar. My sister Mounika working as AEO at Khata village took a loan through Snap It App. As she was unable to pay, a representative from the company branded her as loan defaulter and sent messages to all contacts in her phone. Worried by this, my sister had committed suicide by consuming pesticide. We first took her to the government hospital at Siddipet and then shifted to Gandhi Hospital where she breathed her last breath. Please take action against those responsible for her death,” said the family members in a complaint lodged with the police. Police have registered a case and are investigating.
This was not the first case of people becoming victim of online loans. Few weeks back similar complaints were reported from Alladurg in Medak district and Patancheru in Sangareddy district though no cases of suicide were reported.
There is always someone to listen at: +914066202000 in case of any emotional break down at this Hyderabad-based suicide intervention centre, Roshni.
