Bengaluru, July 11 (IANS) Unable to bear the alleged harassment by a moneylender over repayment of a loan carrying exorbitant interest rates, a 36-year-old autorickshaw driver died by suicide after consuming poison in Bengaluru’s Thanisandra area on Saturday. Before taking the extreme step, he recorded a live selfie video detailing the harassment.

The deceased has been identified as Yusuf. According to police and the complaint filed by his family, Yusuf had borrowed Rs 1.75 lakh from a moneylender identified as Umesh. The family alleged that Umesh was charging an exorbitant monthly interest rate of 30 per cent and was repeatedly harassing Yusuf to repay both the interest and the principal amount.

According to the police, Umesh allegedly threatened Yusuf and made derogatory comments against the women and girls in Yusuf’s family, saying that if he failed to repay the loan, he should send his wife and daughter to him. The family alleged that Yusuf, unable to bear the continuous harassment, humiliation and threats, took the extreme step.

Police said Yusuf consumed poison while sitting inside his auto-rickshaw. He recorded a live selfie video in which he spoke about the harassment before opening a fresh bottle of poison and consuming it on camera. The video also captured him in distress after consuming the poison.

In the video, Yusuf allegedly said that Umesh had given him two loans carrying interest rates of 20 per cent and 30 per cent. He claimed that despite informing the moneylender that his business was poor and he was unable to pay such high interest, Umesh continued to demand payment without any relief.

Based on the family’s complaint, the Bagaluru police have registered an FIR against Umesh and taken up further investigation.

Police are verifying the allegations made in the complaint and the contents of the video as part of the investigation. Further enquiries are underway.

It can be recalled that a man allegedly died by suicide after being subjected to continuous harassment and threats by moneylenders over a loan in Karemma Kallu Layout in Karnataka’s Gadag city in Karnataka on Friday.

The deceased was identified as Sampath Dandagi, who owned a bookstore and was also involved in the real estate business. Before hanging himself at his residence, Sampath recorded a video and also left behind a detailed death note, allegedly blaming the moneylenders for driving him to take the extreme step.

According to preliminary information, Sampath had borrowed Rs 15 lakh and had been paying around Rs 56,000 as monthly interest. However, after he failed to pay the interest for one month, the lenders allegedly began threatening and harassing him with frequent phone calls.

Despite repeated assurances from Sampath’s family that they would repay the loan amount in instalments, the harassment allegedly continued.

–IANS

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