Andhra Pradesh: Four loan application officers detained for ‘harassing’ minister, head of YSRCP

Nellore Police have arrested four people from a lending app company accused of harassing Andhra Pradesh Agriculture Minister Kakani Govardhan Reddy and former Irrigation Minister P Anil Kumar, demanding repayment of loans advanced to some people allegedly close to the duo.

Police Commissioner Ch. Vijaya Rao said two cases have been recorded in this regard in Balaji Nagar and Muthukur. Laptops and cell phones allegedly used to make repeated calls to the two YSRCP leaders were also seized. A special team has been formed to investigate the cases, the SP said.

Mr. Govardhan Reddy, after interacting with residents of his Sarvepalli Assembly constituency during ‘Gadapa Gadapaku Mana Prabhuthvam’ program on Friday, told the media that more than 75 calls demanding payment of ₹9 lakh taken as loan by an unknown person were received by him.

Acting on a complaint made by the Minister’s PA, the IT Core Team carried out an analysis of call data records of calls made to the Minister from various mobile phone numbers and these numbers were blocked.

An officer of a loan application company also repeatedly demanded that Mr. Anil Kumar repay the loan given to his brother-in-law P. Ashok Kumar. The former minister suggested that the company was free to take action against the lender and that he could not be held liable in any way for the ₹8 lakh loan advanced by the company.

Police say gullible people desperate to get loans without much documentation and surety are sharing personal information, including contact numbers and photographs, with loan application companies without reading terms and conditions . They end up paying a high interest rate and hidden fees, including processing fees.

Loan seekers face online harassment in the form of threatening calls, WhatsApp messages and even calls to shame friends and family. Every week, these companies double the interest rate and if the borrowers do not repay, the company staff sends messages to the names in the borrower’s contact list. In many cases, the calls are made from international destinations and difficult to track, sources within the police department said.