5 moneylenders held for extortion, illegal recovery

The Gurugram police have arrested five moneylenders for extortion and illegal recovery of loans at exorbitant interest rates. The accused were reportedly charging 20 per cent interest and had collected Rs 15 lakh on a loan of Rs 7 lakh.

According to the police, a complaint was received on Sunday alleging threats, assault and demands for additional money. The complainant stated that he and his brother had borrowed Rs 7 lakh from Lalit, Nitin, Praveen, Himanshu, Sanjay and two others on August 30, 2024. “We have already repaid around Rs 15 lakh, including 20 per cent interest, but they are still demanding Rs 25 lakh more,” the complainant said.

“On September 7, the accused came to my shop, abused and assaulted me, and tried to snatch Rs 64,000. They also threatened to shoot me. These individuals forcibly obtained three cheques, each worth Rs 5 lakh, from my father’s SBI account, and made my brother and me sign blank papers. They threatened to misuse the cheques,” he added.

Following the complaint, an FIR was registered at Shivaji Nagar police station and five accused were arrested.

The arrested individuals were identified as Krishan alias Nitin, a resident of Ajit Colony, Rohtak, and Himanshu, Sanjay, Lalit and Praveen, all residents of Kaboolpur village in Rohtak district.

“During interrogation, the accused revealed that they have been lending money on interest since 2022–23. They are being questioned further,” said a spokesperson for Gurugram police.