A farmer from Maharashtrawas allegedly forced to travel to Cambodiaand sell his kidney after a loan of Rs 1 lakh, taken at an interest of Rs 10,000 per day, snowballed into a massive debt of Rs 74 lakh.
Roshan Sadashiv Kude, a farmer from Chandrapur district, was facing continuous losses in farming and decided to start a small dairy business. To do so, he borrowed a total of Rs 1 lakh from several private moneylenders. However, even before the dairy venture could begin properly, the cows he had bought died and his crops also failed, worsening his financial situation, according to media reports.
As his income collapsed, the moneylenders allegedly began harassing Kude and his family. In a desperate attempt to clear the debt, he sold his land, tractor and valuable household items, but the amount raised was still not enough. According to Kude, one of the moneylenders then suggested that he sell his kidney. Through an agent, he was taken to Kolkata for medical tests and later to Cambodia, where his kidney was removed and sold for Rs 8 lakh.
ALSO READMaharashtra cabinet nod for statewide farm-to-field road connectivity scheme
Alleged harassment by moneylenders
Kude claimed that despite filing a complaint, the police initially took no action, adding to his mental and physical suffering. He later warned that if he does not get justice, he and his family would set themselves on fire in front of the Mantralaya in Mumbai, according to a report by NDTV.
The moneylenders named in the case are Kishore Bawankule, Manish Kalbande, Laxman Urkude, Pradeep Bawankule, Sanjay Ballarpure and Laxman Borkar, all residents of Brahmapuri town. Following the complaint, local police summoned Kude for questioning and assured him of action.
Based on his statement, Brahmapuri police registered a case for criminal conspiracy, causing grievous hurt, wrongful confinement, extortion, criminal intimidation and common intention. All six accused mentioned in the complaint have been taken into custody, as per a TOI report.
Allegations of illegal interest rates
According to the complaint, the accused charged illegal and extremely high interest rateson the loans. Kude alleged that he was subjected to prolonged financial exploitation, mental harassment and physical abuseto extort money from him.
ALSO READRift within Mahayuti? Fadnavis says situation ‘not good’ ahead of Maharashtra civic body polls
Police said Kude owned four acres of farmland, but repeated crop failures caused by erratic weather over the years destroyed his income. With formal bank loans out of reach, he was forced to depend on private moneylenders. In 2021, he borrowed Rs 1 lakh for treatment of sick cows at his small dairy unit, hoping to stabilise his finances, the TOI report added.
Although he managed to repay the amount, the first moneylender allegedly claimed that the principal was still unpaid and pushed him to borrow again from another lender at a higher interest rate. Kude said he soon got trapped in a network of moneylenders who charged an exorbitant 40% monthly interest. With farming income continuing to fail, his debt kept rising rapidly, according to his complaint. |
