Loan waiver on mind, UP cracks down on moneylenders

When contacted, Chitrakoot range DIG Shri Ram Tripathi confirmed the operation against moneylenders in his jurisdiction that spread over Banda, Hamirpur, Chitrakoot and Mahoba. “More than two dozen cases have been lodged against moneylenders in my range. We won’t allow money lenders to adopt coercive method. In all the four districts, lists of moneylenders are also prepared,” the DIG told The Indian Express over the phone.

Meanwhile, Lucknow zone IG A K Jain said he was working out a concrete strategy to book erring moneylenders.

Cases lodged against moneylenders also reflect the ground realities in the Bundelkhand region. An FIR (378/8) lodged by the Kotwali Police is a fine example. According to it, one Sitaram took a loan of Rs 1 lakh from one Ashok Kumar Tewari. Tewari allegedly asked Sitaram to repay an amount of Rs 1.72 lakh with interest within two years from the date of receiving the money. However, Sitaram failed to repay the loan within stipulated time. He could return only Rs 49,000. “The moneylenders forced Sitaram to do a ‘Bayanama’ in favour of him,” station house officer of Banda Kotwali R N Singh told The Indian Express.

According to him, the situation became worse for Sitaram when he was asked either to pay Rs 6 lakh or vacate the house. The case has been registered under Section 147, 504 and 506 of the IPC, besides Section 10 and 11 of the UP Regulation of Money Lending Act.

The new situation in Bundelkhand region has also helped the debtors to enter into comprise with the money lenders over the issue of loan. The same police station has lodged a case against one Devki Nandan Shukla. According to SHO Singh, Shukla had given a loan of Rs 5,000 to Devi Dayal. “An amount of Rs 22,000 was demanded as repayment of loan and that too within a period of six months,” the SHO added. He also disclosed that the complainant in this case is police. He suspected that the moneylender reduced the interest on his loan and got the debtor convinced not to lodge the FIR.

Sources in Mahoba district said the district administration had served show-cause notices on such moneylenders who had not got their licenses renewed. “Though they are in business, they have not got their licenses renewed. After the administration’s showcause notice, they have started to apply for renewal of their licenses,” the source disclosed.

Mahoba SP Ajay Kumar Mishra said five cases had been registered against moneylenders in his district. Meanwhile, Chitrakoot SP Shachi Ghildiyal and Hamirpur SP Nachiketa Jha, too, confirmed action against illegal money lenders in their districts.

Reports reaching here from Bundelkhand region said the moneylenders had left their villages in the wake of police crackdown. “The on-going operation against them has both negative and positive results,” a district police chief posted in Bundelkhand range said.