A 32-year-old engineer filed a complaint with the Cyber Police Station stating that despite reimbursing R3.85 lakh which he had taken from ten different loan applications, he was harassed by 50-60 debt collectors from loans that threatened him. to pay Rs 15 lakh more, and had sent his obscene photographs transformed with derogatory comments, to those on his contact list, including his relatives, senior executives and colleagues.
According to the police, the complainant is a resident of Kalina and works in a private company in Andheri. Last September, the victim had downloaded a lending mobile app to his phone and all the necessary permissions from his phone. The victim also provided his name, residential address, aadhar, Pan, work and bank details on the request. The victim had several times taken out a small amount of short-term loans from the said request and fully repaid the said loans.
“Starting in March 2022, the victim had received phone calls from different numbers asking him to repay the loans. When the victim informed that he had repaid the loans, the callers told him that his loan repayment information n hadn’t been updated on their records and if he didn’t make the payment, then his lewd photo would go viral on social media to defame him,” the FIR said.
The FIR added: “The victim initially ignored these threats, but on April 28, the victim learned that his obscene altered photograph had been forwarded by an unknown number to his friend’s wife and those on his hot list. From September 2021 to March 2022, the victim had taken a loan of Rs 3.85 lakh from ten different loan applications and repaid the loans, yet he was harassed by 50-60 loan collectors who threatened to pay him Rs 15 lakh more, and sent his obscenely transformed photographs containing derogatory comments, to those on his contact list, including his relatives, senior managers and colleagues.”
Harassed by this, the victim went to the police and filed a criminal complaint about it with the Cyber Police Station. The police registered a case for punishment for extortion, punishment for defamation, intentional insult with intent to cause public disorder, punishment for criminal intimidation, punishment for publishing or transmitting obscene material in electronic form.
“The so-called loan apps are completely illegal. It is an illicit syndicate because in India only recognized and registered NBFCs can offer loans. It is an absolutely illegal network, which thrives on people’s ignorance and their propensity to make quick profits.These apps promise hassle-free loans and quick money and people are tricked into falling victim to them, not realizing that their phones are being hacked, their data is being stolen and their privacy is totally invaded.Perpetrators can be easily traced through tracing of IP addresses, through bank account details and phone numbers through which they operate.Whenever they offer quick loans to a victim, the victim is required to download a particular app which asks for permission to access all the phone data.The fraudsters then use said information to threaten the victim and exto r money,” said Inspector General of Police, Maharashtra Cyber, Yashasvi Yadav
Recent cases of registered loan sharks
May 04 – Kurar resident Sandeep Koregaonkar committed suicide after being harassed by loan sharks.
May 08 – Anurag Singh (24) filed a police complaint after an app circulated his morphed photos on a ‘loan’ of Rs 3,805
10 May – Rajeshkumar Ramani (32), an employee of an imitation jewelry store, had filed a complaint with the police for harassment by loan sharks
May 11 – A 36-year-old life insurance agent from Malad who had taken out a loan from a loan application was harassed by loan collectors
May 12 – Loan sharks misused a WhatsApp image of a 34-year-old Nepean Sea Road resident and harassed him to return the money, despite the victim having paid the amount of the loan.
May 20 – An FIR has been filed against loan collectors from two loan apps for allegedly altering the photo of a 28-year-old woman and circulating it to friends and family.
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Posted: Monday, May 23, 2022, 8:43 PM IST