A 19-year-old labourer from Ahmedabad's Bapunagar area attempted to end his life by consuming rat poison on Thursday afternoon, driven to despair by alleged relentless pressure from private money lenders. The incident, detailed in a police complaint, highlights a grim tale of financial distress and alleged intimidation over high-interest loans.
Mounting Debt and Relentless Pressure
According to the First Information Report (FIR), the young man had been facing financial difficulties for about a year. To manage his situation, he borrowed money from three different lenders at steep interest rates. He took a loan of Rs 12,000 at a 20% interest rate, another of Rs 1,00,000 at 8%, and a third of Rs 5,000 at a staggering 30% interest. Initially, he managed to make some partial repayments. However, as his income dwindled, he found it impossible to keep up with the monthly instalments and the accumulating interest.
Alleged Harassment and Threats
The FIR states that the lenders then began an intense campaign of pressure. They allegedly started visiting him frequently or calling him constantly, demanding immediate repayment of the full amounts. The complaint details that the lenders refused to listen to his pleas for more time and instead issued threats of violence if he failed to pay. Over the last several weeks, this pressure reportedly intensified, with the accused allegedly demanding money almost daily, leaving the youth feeling overwhelmed, harassed, and in constant fear.
A Desperate Act and Police Action
Unable to cope with what he described as "constant harassment and fear," the youth reached a breaking point. Around 1 pm on Thursday, he went to the parking area of his residential building and ingested rat poison. A friend discovered him in this critical condition and immediately alerted the 108 emergency services. He was rushed to Shardaben Hospital for urgent medical treatment.
Following the incident, the victim lodged a formal complaint against the three money lenders. Acting on his statement, the Bapunagar police registered an FIR. The accused have been booked under relevant BNS (Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita) sections for criminal intimidation and abetment. Additionally, the police have invoked pertinent provisions of the Gujarat Money Lenders Act in the case, indicating a serious probe into the lending practices involved.
This tragic case underscores the severe human cost of predatory lending and harassment, raising serious questions about the regulation of private money lending and the protection of vulnerable borrowers from coercive recovery tactics.
