Andhra Pradesh Man Dies by Suicide After Harassment Over ₹2,000 Debt

A newlywed fisherman in Visakhapatnam tragically took his own life after being harassed by agents of a loan app concerning a ₹2,000 debt. Despite having repaid the loan, the agents circulated morphed obscene images of him and his wife to his contacts, exacerbating his distress.

The victim, identified as S. Narendra, 22, was found hanged at his home on December 7, although the incident only came to light recently. Residing in Ramajogipeta under the Maharanipeta police jurisdiction, Narendra and his father faced economic difficulties due to rough sea conditions that left many fishing boats in the area docked.

Narendra married his girlfriend on October 20. To meet household expenses during tough times, he had taken a loan from the app. After repaying ₹2,000, the app's executives harassed him further by contacting his wife to pressure her for repayment and threatening to leak objectionable images.

Following his death, family and friends filed a complaint with local police, urging strong action against the loan app. Authorities have initiated a case under Section 108 (abetment of suicide) and relevant sections of the IT Act. The police are also conducting a cyber forensic analysis of Narendra’s phone as part of their investigation.

Assistant Commissioner of Police K. Lakshmana Murthy noted that similar incidents have resulted in several deaths linked to harassment by private loan app operators in Andhra Pradesh between 2022 and 2023, highlighting the alarming trend of privacy violations in exchange for small loans.