‘Pay us the money first and die later’

(From left to right): Uma Rangavkar says she has paid Rs 5 lakh on a loan amount of Rs 20,000, Anilkumar Rajbhar got a loan of Rs 3k on April 19, which he returned at once, Omkar Salvi is being harassed even after repaying the entire loan amount

The harassment at the hands of recovery agents, hired by companies offering instant loans via mobile apps, seems to have become unstoppable. After a series of mid-day reports, many victims have approached this paper to share their ordeal. While a woman has been shamed in front of her family, relatives and friends, a man lost his job at a multinational firm, while there are some who are being hounded by the agents even though they repaid the loan.

MiD-Day has in various reports highlighted the menace of lending via mobile app-based platforms. Youngsters, mostly college dropouts, have been hired by these companies to go after people defaulting on repayments. However, as more victims emerge, it shows that innocent people are being harassed irrespective of the status of their loan. A person had recently even taken his own life following incessant harassment by loan recovery agents.

‘Repaid, but no respite'

Anilkumar Rajbhar, 41, had a wedding at home in May and was in need of Rs 50,000. He was searching the Internet for a finance company when he stumbled upon Rupee Tiger. "I had borrowed Rs 3 lakh from another app-based lender and my experience so far was good. I filled up my information in the Rupee Tiger app after which I was approved for a loan of Rs 6,000. But I needed a bigger amount, so I stopped entering more details. However, I still received Rs 3,300 in my account on April 19. I got a call by company officials on April 23, asking to pay Rs 6,000, and I immediately returned the amount on the UPI ID mentioned in the app," he recalls.

The victims say they've been shamed at the workplace, too. Representation pic

Rajbhar thought it was done and dusted, but he was in for a rude shock when his friends told him they have received his morphed pictures on WhatsApp with abusive language. He immediately rushed to Parksite police station and filed a complaint, based on which an FIR was filed against unknown persons. "Yesterday, I received a call from a person claiming to be an official of Rupee Tiger. He said the company was not behind the [harassment] and that they will also file a complaint." "Police should take this issue seriously before somebody else takes their life," he said.

Almost lost his job

Ajay (name changed) was in need of money after his mother suddenly fell ill in January 2022. The 42-year-old found out about Creditt app and borrowed Rs 30,000. "I received the money on January 5 and the repayment date was February 4, but due to financial constraint I couldn't return on time. I made full payment on February 25 though."

The delay of a few days almost cost him his job, said Ajay. Besides his friends and family, his office colleagues and HR personnel also received his morphed photos on WhatsApp. He was summoned by his superiors."My whole reputation was tarnished. But, they did not take action considering my hard work and track record at the work."

"When I pleaded to these callers to stop or I will kill myself, they said ‘first pay and then die'," recalled Ajay. He filed a complaint at Nalasopara police station on April 26, but no offence has been registered yet. "Police should take action now. The harassment is unbearable and if this continues, more innocent people will take their own lives," he added.

He lost his MNC job

Pawan (name changed) took Rs 8,000 from two different lenders on April 7 because of a medical emergency. He was given seven days to return the money, but on the sixth day itself, i.e. February 13, his friends and colleagues started getting morphed pictures and videos of him. "It was terrible. I never imagined something like this would ever happen to me. My sister and brother also got these messages."

He worked at a famous multinational fast food chain company, whose officials asked ‘what nonsense it was" and despite an explanation, he was fired on the spot. Pawan said he broke down and called his friends. "If I didn't have my friends' support, I might have killed myself. I have filed a complaint at Oshiwara police, and hope they will take action."

Being harassed since 2020

Omkar Salvi, 26, from Mira Road got trapped in the scam in November 2020, when he applied for merely Rs 3,400 on Cash Cow with a repayment period of one week. He repaid on time, but is being badgered to this day. He said the loan recovery agents are threatening him, calling his relatives, friends, family and abusing them, too. Salvi said he approached the Kashimira police station many times, but they refused to register a case.

Salvi, who works in the car service industry, said he had repaid Rs 5,800. "The agents called people and told them that I had defrauded the company, and called me a ‘loan chor [thief]'. They stopped calling me for a few days, but I have been bombarded with calls again since April 7. I again approached the police, but got no help. This should be stopped immediately to save people's lives."

Didn't get 30 days to repay

A 22-year-old woman from Mira Road filed a police complaint in March against two loan provider companies-- Sun Cash and Cash Advance--for harassing her and sending images of her ID cards with obscene messages to her friends and relatives.

The complainant, who works in a real estate firm, said she took a loan of a total of Rs 7,314 from the two apps. But after getting the money, she got a message asking her to pay back "Rs 20,000, including the interest. I was shocked, but decided to pay. As per their claims, I had 30 days for the repayment," she said. However, she started receiving abusive and threatening calls from unknown numbers four days later.

Later, they shared my PAN and Aadhaar card photos to her relatives and friends on WhatsApp and Instagram, with a message stating: "Whoever repays the loan can have sex with me and my mother."

She repaid Rs 5L on Rs 20k loan

Uma Rangavkar, 43, from Thane said she borrowed Rs 20,000 from an app-based lender in July 2020, during the COVID-19 lockdown, and till today, she has paid Rs 5 lakh. Still, the harassment has not stopped. Her friends, family and relatives have also been targeted by the recovery agents, she told mid-day. Rangavkar approached the Kasarvadavli police, but they refused to register any complaint.

"I applied for a loan of Rs 3,000 in July 2020, but was unable to repay it due to the lockdown. Later, they suggested that I apply for another loan of Rs 3,000 and I kept doing it until I had taken out a loan of Rs 21,000 in six months. I have repaid around Rs 5 lakh till date, but they still ask me for more money. A woman recovery agent calls me every day and uses foul language. I have changed my number many times, but I don't know how they find my new numbers. They abuse and threaten me every day."