Tamil Nadu - Tirunelveli   

3 moneylenders arrested

TIRUNELVELI: The Thisaiyanvilai police on Monday arrested three moneylenders for collecting exorbitant interest rates and issuing threat to the borrower.

According to police, S. Vallinayagam (28), a florist from Thisaiyanvilai, had reportedly borrowed Rs. 20,000 from J. Joshua Rajasekar (26) of Appuvilai, Rs. 45,000 from P. Pattukrishnan of Naduvaikurichi under Thattaarmadam police station limit in Tuticorin district and Rs. 45,000 from P. Rajavel (41) of Thisaiyanvilai.

Though the borrower had reportedly repaid the loan along with the interest, the moneylenders told Mr. Vallinayagam that he had to pay Rs. 1 lakh more to each of them.

They also threatened the borrower that he would be facing serious consequences, if he failed to pay the amount.

Based on a complaint from Mr. Vallinayagam, the Thisaiyanvilai police arrested the trio.

Following information about usury menace in Thisaiyanvilai area, Deputy Inspector- General of Police, Tirunelveli Range, P. Kannappan and Superintendent of Police, Tirunelveli, Asra Garg roped in a nationalised bank to conduct a special awareness camp at Thisaiyanvilai to enlighten the small traders about the loan schemes available with the banks.

Even after this camp and the police repeatedly encouraged the victims of usury for the past several weeks to file complaints against the usurers, there was no substantial improvement in the situation, owing to the lack of cooperation from the public. Even though the police could not get complaint from the affected, the law-enforcers managed to restrict the moneylenders to a certain extent.

Mr. Asra Garg said that the police operation against the usurers would continue with more vigour in the days to come as there would be no room for usury in the district anymore.

“The modern Shylocks will be flushed out and no mercy shown to them,” noted Mr. Asra Garg.

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