NELLORE: District Collector Himanshu Shukla ensured justice for Peram Vijayakumari of Shantinagar, Buchireddypalem, whose house was allegedly occupied by a moneylender.
Her parents had borrowed Rs 70,000 from Nakka Lellayya for her brother’s marriage, but after their death, she was coerced into signing inflated debt papers for Rs 3 lakh. Despite paying monthly interest for three years and clearing the amount, the lender demanded another Rs 50,000 and withheld her house documents, forcing her to leave home and live with relatives for nearly four months.
Moved by her petition, Shukla ordered an inquiry on March 7. Officials verified the facts and freed the property from alleged encroachment by Lellayya’s son, Nakka Yanadayya, before restoring it to Vijayakumari. Expressing relief, she said she could now live with her children again and would remain grateful to the Collector for life.
Shukla warned against harassment through private lending, stressing that charging exorbitant interest, forcing borrowers to sign documents, or occupying their properties is illegal. He promised strict legal action against offenders and urged victims to come forward without fear, noting this was part of a wider problem affecting poor families.