VIJAYAWADA: A 33-year-old man committed suicide on Thursday allegedly due to pressure from mobile loan app agents to clear his debt, police said on Friday. The deceased has been identified as Lanka Manikanta, a private milk van driver, from Prasadampadu in Vijayawada.
City central zone ACP Khadar Basha said WhatsApp chats on Manikanta’s phone were analysed and he seemed to be under pressure to clear the debt he had taken from loan apps. Manikanta’s family had reportedly checked his phone to ascertain the reason behind the extreme step. The agents had been found to be repeatedly messaging him to clear the debt. Police said Manikanta had borrowed only a few thousand rupees from two apps.
“The app organisers allegedly threatened him saying they would post his morphed pictures,” said Basha. A case has been registered against the agents under IPC Section 306 (abetment of suicide) and relevant sections of IT Act.
173 loan apps removed
The State police has registered 75 cases against loan app organisers and arrested 71 persons so far this year. The accused were operating from Delhi, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Telangana and Tamil Nadu. Police have identified a total of 207 unauthorised instant loan apps operating in the State and of them, 173 were removed from Google Play store.
Suicide Helpline
OneLife: 78930-78930
Roshni, Hyderabad-based NGO: 040-66202000