Morphed photos of wife ciruclated by loan app agents, Andhra man ends life: Here’s what happened

In a tragic incident, a 25-year-old man in Andhra Pradesh took his life after loan app agents sent morphed photos of his wife to his contacts. This incident highlights the severe harassment borrowers face from such apps, prompting government officials to address the issue of inhumane treatment.

Narendra married Akhila on earlier this year, following which the couple started living in Visakhapatnam where he worked as a fisherman. Due to weather conditions, he could not go fishing for a few days, which pushed him to debt.

To cover his expenses, Narendra borrowed ₹2,000 from a loan app. Soon after, agents from the app began harassing him for repayment, sending abusive messages.

They also sent morphed photos of his wife with a price quote to his contacts, including friends and family. When Akhila received the images, she confronted her husband and learned about the loan. The couple chose to repay the full amount, but the harassment did not stop.

People started coming upto him and call him and asked him about the photo. Heartbroken and humiliated, Narendra committed suicide. 

This is the third incident in Andhra Pradesh this week. In Nandyal district, a young woman harassed by loan app agents attempted suicide but was saved by the police. Loan apps offer quick loans with minimal paperwork, but their aggressive and inhumane recovery methods have faced frequent criticism.

Speaking about it, Andhra Pradesh Home Minister Anitha said, as quoted by NDTV “The loan apps are luring the common public with their trapping mechanism. They first offer loans with lesser documentation and then torture the borrowers by illegal means. Their torture is so very harsh that people are committing suicide.”