Airport Police in Kolkata have initiated a formal investigation following a serious complaint against loan recovery agents. The complaint alleges that the agents employed tactics of criminal intimidation, obscene threats, and online harassment against a borrower and his family members, which included a minor child.
Chronology of Harassment and Threats
According to the official complaint filed with the authorities, the ordeal for the borrower began on December 13. The recovery agents, who claimed to represent a lending company, started contacting him persistently to pressure him into repaying a personal loan. The complainant stated that due to unemployment, he was unable to clear the outstanding debt at that time. He informed the lender about his financial hardship and even sought a settlement, but the recovery process took a dark and abusive turn instead of finding an amicable solution.
Escalation to Abuse and Family Targeting
The situation rapidly deteriorated from persistent calls to outright threats and abuse. The complaint details that the recovery agents did not limit their harassment to the borrower alone. They allegedly began contacting his family members, crossing a severe ethical and legal boundary by involving a minor child. The borrower was subjected to abuse and threats of physical harm.
More alarmingly, the agents are accused of directing threats of sexual violence towards a woman member of the family. The harassment extended into the digital realm, where a fake Instagram account was allegedly created. This account was used to publicly post abusive and sexually threatening content on the social media profile of a woman connected to the borrower, amplifying the trauma and intended humiliation.
Police Investigation Underway
The Kolkata Airport Police have registered the complaint and a probe is currently ongoing. The case highlights the extreme and often unregulated methods sometimes employed in the debt recovery sector in India. It raises critical questions about the protection of borrowers' rights and the need for stringent oversight to prevent such criminal intimidation and harassment, especially when it involves minors and sexual threats. The outcome of the police investigation will be closely watched as it sets a precedent for dealing with similar cases of aggressive loan recovery.
